GIFT  OF 
Gladys  Isaacson 


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The  Social  Message  of  the  Modern  Pulpit 

By  Rev.  CHARLES  REYNOLDS  BROWN 
Sixty  Years  with  the  Bible 

By  Prof.  WILLIAM  NEWTON  CLARKE,  D.D. 
The  Bible,  Its  Origin  and  Nature 

By  Prof.  MARCUS  Dons,  D.D. 
The  Origin  and  Permanent  Value   of   the   Old 

Testament    By  Prof.  CHARLES  FOSTER  KENT,  PhJ). 
The  Gospel  and  the  Church 

By  ALFRED  LOISY 
The  Apostolic  Age 

By  Prof.  JAMES  HARDY  ROPES 
Outlines  of  the  Life  of  Christ 

By  Prof.  W.  SANDAY,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  LittD. 
The  Passing  Protestantism  and  Coming  Cathol- 

icism   By  Rev.  NEWMAN  SMYTH,  D.D. 
A  Model  Superintendent 

By  Rev.  H.  CLAY  TRUMBULL 
Sermons  to  Young  Men 
The  Story  of  the  Psalms 

By  Dr.  HENRY  VABT  DYKX 
Epochs  in  the  Life  of  Jesus 

By  Prof.  A.  T.  ROTEMSON,  D.D. 

The  Faith  of  a  Modern  Protestant 

By  Prof.  WILHELM  BOUSSET 
God's  Choice  of  Men 

By  Rev.  WHXIAM  R.  RICHARDS,  D.D. 
Theology  and  Human  Problems 

By  Prof.  EUGENE  W.  LYMAN,  D.D. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York 


THE 


STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 


BY 


HENRY  VAN   DYKE,  D.  D. 


SEVENTH  EDITION 


NEW   YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


V13 


Copyright.  1887. 
Br  HENEY  VAN  DYKB. 


GIFT  OF 
GLADYS     ISAACSON 


To 

MY  FATHER, 

WHO    WAS    MY    FIRST    TEACHER, 
AND  IS  MY  FAITHFUL  FRIEND, 

STfjts  Boofc  10  ©efitcatjU 

IN   GRATEFUL  AFFECTION. 


PKEFACE 


THERE  is  nothing  truly  great  or  lasting  in  literature 
which  is  not,  in  the  broadest  and  deepest  sense,  hu- 
mane. 

The  best  poetry  is  that  which  comes  closest  to  the 
common  experience  of  mankind,  —  gives  form  and  col- 
our to  the  feelings  which  enter  eveiy  heart,  —  it  is 
"  the  blossom  and  fragrance  of  all  human  knowledge, 
human  thoughts,  human  passions,  emotions,  language." 
Thus  it  becomes  true,  as  Wordsworth  has  said,  that 
the  poet  is  "  the  rock  of  defence  of  human  nature,  an 
upholder  and  preserver,  carrying  everywhere  with  him 
relationship  and  love." 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  may  discern  in  this  truth,  at 
least  in  part,  one  secret  of  the  vitality  and  power  of  the 
Bible.  There  is  no  other  book  which  lies  so  near  to 
the  great  throbbing  heart  of  the  world.  Its  humanity 
is  no  less  manifest,  no  less  potent,  than  its  divinity. 
There  is  life  in  it,  and  life  is  always  interesting. 

We  need  to  be  on  our  guard  against  any  method  of 
using  or  interpreting  these  Scriptures  which  would  put 
them  far  away  from  us,  or  make  them  shadowy  and 
unreal.  When  they  are  regarded  chiefly  as  a  collec- 
tion  of  mystical  charms,  a  mine  where  we  may  dig  for 


iv  PREFACE 

doctrines,  or  a  compilation  of  forms  of  sound  words, 
their  best  influence  is  lost.  A  desiccated  Bible  will 
have  small  power  with  anybody  except  the  supersti- 
tious. 

We  ought  to  be  grateful  that  it  did  not  fall  down 
from  heaven  like  the  fabulous  statue  of  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians;  nor  was  it  whispered  into  any  man's  ear 
by  a  pigeon  after  the  fashion  in  which  Mahomet  said 
that  he  received  the  Koran  ;  but  God  caused  it  to  grow 
upon  the  earth,  and  to  draw  into  itself  all  that  was 
noblest  and  purest  in  many  generations  of  our  fellow- 
men.  We  ought  to  remember  that  there  is  not  a  book 
in  it,  and  hardly  a  chapter,  the  threads  of  which  are 
not  interwoven  with  the  actual  experience  of  a  human 
life. 

It  is  in  this  spirit  that  I  have  tried  to  write  the 
story  of  some  of  the  psalms.  My  desire  has  been  to 
bring  these  ancient  and  sacred  poems  into  close  con- 
nection with  the  lives  of  the  men  who  wrote  them,  — 
men  of  like  passions,  and  sins,  and  trials,  and  hopes, 
and  aspirations,  with  ourselves.  To  do  this  will  not 
lessen  our  reverence  for  the  psalms,  and  it  may  in- 
crease our  love.  For  it  will  bring  them  home  to  us 
and  give  them  the  touch  of  reality.  It  will  help  us  to 
understand  that  the  depths  of  our  nature,  like  the  pro- 
fundities of  the  ocean,  are  unchanged  by  the  tides  and 
tempests  which  play  upon  the  surface,  and  that  trui 
religion  is  the  same  in  every  man  and  in  every  age. 

New  YOBK  CITY,  June,  1887. 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS. 


IN  1723  a  painful  scholar  counted  six  hundred  and  thirty  com- 
mentaries upon  the  Psalms.  Since  that  time  many  more  have 
been  added.  It  has  not  seemed  necessary  for  me  to  read  all  of 
these  at  present ;  but  it  may  be  profitable  to  give  a  short  list  of 
those  books  which  I  have  found  most  helpful,  and  it  will  cer- 
tainly be  proper  to  acknowledge  in  this  place  my  indebtedness  to 
them.1 

J.  J.  STEWART  PEROWNE  :  The  Book  of  Psalms.  London  : 
1883.  2vols. 

FRANZ  DELITZSCH  :  Biblical  Commentary  on  the  Psalms. 
Clark's  Foreign  Theological  Library.  Edinburgh  :  1884.  3  vols. 

G.  HEINRICH  A.  v.  EWALD  :  Commentary  on  the  Psalms. 
London  :  Williams  and  Norgate  :  1880.  2  vols. 

JAMES  G.  MURPHY  :  A  Critical  and  Exegetical  Commentary  on 
the  Book  of  Psalms.  Andover. :  Warren  F.  Draper  :  1875. 

F.  C.  COOK,  Canon  of  Exeter  :  The  Book  of  Psalms.  In  the 
Speaker's  Commentary,  vol.  iv.  New  York  :  Scribners  :  1874. 

WILLIAM  ALEXANDER,  Bishop  of  Derry  :  The  Witness  of  the 
Psalms  to  Christ.  New  York  :  E.  P.  Button  :  1877. 

THOMAS  CHALMERS  MURRAY  :  The  Origin  and  Growth  of  the 
Psalms.  New  York  :  Scribners  :  1880. 

MARVIN  R.  VINCENT  :  Gates  into  the  Psalm  Country.  New 
York  :  Scribners  :  1883. 

ALEXANDER  MACLAREN  :  The  Life  of  David.  London  :  Mac- 
millan  :  1880. 

SAMUEL  Cox  :  The  Pilgrim  Psalms.     London  :  1874. 

ARTHUR  PENRHYN  STANLEY  :  History  of  the  Jewish  Church. 
New  York  :  Scribners  :  1874.  3  vols. 

C.  A.  BRIGGS  :  Messianic  Prophecy.  New  York  :  Scribners  : 
1886. 

*  The  translation  which  I  have  followed,  with  few  exceptions,  is  that  of  the  Re- 
vised Version. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

L    THE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK  ......    .*  **    ,      1 


IL  A  PBAYER  OF  MOSES  THE  MAN  OF  GOD   .      y.K.    .    13 

IIL  A  SHEPHERD'S  SONG  ABOUT  ms  SHEPHERD  .    2^  .    25 

IV.  A  SONG  FROM  A  CAVE  TO  THE  TUNE  "  DESTROY  Nor  "    37  6 

V.  A  MARCHING  CHORUS  ............    53 

VI.  THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN.    ....    ......    69 

VII.  "Music  AND  DANCING"    ..........    .85 

VHL  A  PRAYER  WITHOUT  A  PETITION   .......    .97     « 

IX.  A  ROYAL  ODE  ..........    „    .    .    .    .  Ill    ' 

|X.  THE  CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  ...........  127      4~v 

XL  THE  SCHOOL  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT  .....    ...  145 

^Oi 

XII.  THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE.    ........  157     ***° 

XIII.  "BY  THE  RIVERS  OF  BABYLON"      ,    .    .    .    .    .     .171 

XIV.  THE  PRAISE  OF  PRAYER  .......    ....  187 

XV.  THE  NEW  TEMPLE  ........    .....  201 

XVI.  THE  CITY  AND  THE  HOME    ..........  217    /  ify 

XVII.  BROTHERLY  LOVE     ........    .....  233 

XVIIL  THE  BENEDICTION  .  ,    .  247      /^^ 


I 

THE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK 


HE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK 


THERE  is  no  room  for  doubt  that  the  Christian 
Church,  while  careful  to  observe  a  due  reverence  for 
the  whole  Bible  as  her  inspired  rule  of  faith  and 
practice,  has  always  used  a  large  liberty  of  affection 
towards  its  different  books,  and  has  taken  some  of 
them  into  her  heart  with  a  fondness  which  is  not  un- 
reasonable, though  it  may  be  partial.  Chief  among 
these  favourites  is  the  Book  of  Psalms,  —  the  fairest 
offspring  of  the  Jews'  religion,  —  which  Christianity 
has  adopted  as  if  it  were  her  own.  There  is  certainly 
no  other  portion  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  which  can 
compare  with  it  in  favour  or  familiarity.  And,  what- 
ever may  be  said  by  the  disciples  of  the  school  of 
Shammai  against  such  partiality,  it  may  be  answered 
that  Christ  and  His  apostles  set  the  example,  and  the 
Church  has  followed  it  from  the  beginning  until  the 
present  day. 

Between  the  first  verse  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel  and 
the  last  verse  of  St.  John's  Kevelation,  there  are  two 
hundred  and  eighty-three  quotations  from  the  Old 
Testament.  One  hundred  and  sixteen  of  them  are 
from  the  Psalms.  It  was  the  first  book  which  the 
early  Church  put  into  the  hands  of  her  young  converts, 


, 

v 
A 


OF  THE  PSALMS 

;'.  -jJtije:  'prfiji$*  •  of  :  h&r  'religious  teaching  ;  and  no  man 
could  te  *  acUmtt&T  to  "the  highest  order  of  the  clergy 
unless  he  knew  the  Psalter  by  heart.  It  was  used  for 
singing  in  the  first  assemblies  for  Christian  worship, 
and  has  found  a  place  in  the  public  services  of  every 
historic  church,  —  Greek,  Roman,  German,  Swiss, 
French,  Scotch,  and  English.  It  is  the  only  one  of 
the  Hebrew  books  which  is  bound  up  with  the  New 
Testament  as  if  it  belonged  there.  And  I  think  we 
may  feel  that  this  is  not  only  natural,  but  also  right, 
and  that  there  are  good  reasons  why  we  should  care 
more  for  the  Psalms  than  for  any  other  portion  of  the 
Old  Testament. 

In  this  opening  chapter  it  will  not  be  possible  to  do 
more  than  sketch  in  outline  the  history  of  the  book, 
and  indicate  the  method  in  which  we  are  to  study  it. 

It  was  originally  the  Hymn-Book  of  the  Jewish 
people.  We  are  sure  of  this,  not  only  from  the  tradi- 
tion  in  regard  to  it,  but  also  from  the  title  which  it 
bears  in  the  Hebrew  language.  It  is  called  Tehillim  : 
"  Praises,"  or  "  Songs  of  Praise."  Our  familiar  Eng- 
lish  word,  "  Psalms,"  is  the  name  which  was  given  to 
it  by  those  who  spoke  Greek.  It  means  simply 
"  Songs  set  to  music."  And  the  name  "  Psalter  "  is 
of  like  meaning,  being  derived,  or,  rather,  transferred 
directly  and  almost  letter  for  letter,  from  the  Greek 
word  for  a  stringed  instrument,  after  the  same  fashion 
in  which,  nowadays,  any  collection  of  sacred  poetry 
might  be  called  "  The  Harp"  or  "  The  Lyre." 

Now,  if  we  take  up  one  of  our  innumerable  modern 
hymn-books,  we  may  notice  several  characteristic  fea- 


THE  HEBREW  HYMfr'tfOOK  5 


tures  in  it.  In  the  first  place,  -we  see  that  ii  has  t 
compiled  by  some  person  or  pers6n§  who  cannot  "lay 
any  claim  to  the  authorship  of  the  book.  Then  we  ob- 
serve that  it  includes  the  productions  of  many  different 
writers,  widely  separated  one  from  another,  not  only 
in  time,  but  also  in  style.  We  perceive  that  most  of 
these  pieces  are  adapted  for  use  in  the  public  worship 
of  the  Church  ;  but  among  them  there  are  some  of  a 
more  reflective  and  personal  character,  which  are  bet- 
ter fitted  to  be  read  than  to  be  sung.  And,  finally,  we 
shall  find,  at  least  in  the  latest  and  best  books,  that 
the  compilers  have  given  the  authors'  names,  where 
they  were  known,  and  added  now  and  then  a  note  to 
tell  how  and  when  the  hymn  was  written. 

All  of  these  features  we  may  observe,  if  we  read 
with  candour  and  intelligence,  in  the  Book  of  Psalms. 
"We  call  it  a  book;  but  in  fact  there  are  five  books 
here,  distinctly  separated,  and  each  of  them  embracing 
the  work  of  many  different  authors  and  periods.  The 
First  Book  ends  with  the  Forty-first  Psalm,  the  Second 
Book  with  the  Seventy-second,  the  Third  Book  with 
the  Eighty-ninth,  the  Fourth  Book  with  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixth,  and  the  Fifth  Book  with  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fiftieth. 

We  do  not  know,  and  it  would  be  vain  to  seek,  who 
it  was  that  brought  these  collections  into  their  present 
form.  Certainly  the  work  was  done  after  the  Baby- 
lonish captivity  ;  probably  it  was  completed  before  the 
rise  of  the  Maccabees  and  the  translation  of  the  Septu- 
agint.1  It  is  clear  also  that  the  compilation  was  made 

1  Murray,  Origin  and  Growth  of  the  Psalms,  Lecture  iv. 


6':  '.'./     ,  S.&fobr  OF  THE  PSALMS 


tu3Qi*L  the  services  of  the  Second  Tem- 
ple,1 and  that  'th'os'e  wiio  made  it  gathered  the  best  that 
they  could  find  from  the  treasures  of  Hebrew  sacred 
poetry  in  all  the  centuries  past.  No  one  man  could 
have  written  a  book  like  this.  There  are  differences 
of  thought  and  expression  which  go  beyond  the  range 
of  any  single  personality.  The  music  is  choral,  mani- 
fold, harmonious.  It  touches  all  sides  of  human  ex- 
perience,  and  vibrates  with  distinct  yet  blended  notes  of 
joy  and  grief,  hope  and  fear,  faith  and  doubt,  peni- 
tence and  praise. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  early  commentators  to  ig- 
nore all  these  differences,  and  maintain  that  David 
wrote  all  the  psalms,  either  with  his  own  hand  or 
through  the  agency  of  others  who  were  virtually  his 
amanuenses.  This  view  is  manifestly  absurd.  It  is  as 
impossible  to  imagine  that  David  was  the  author  of 
"  By  the  Rivers  of  Babylon,"  or  "  O  God,  the  heathen 
are  come  into  thine  inheritance,"  as  it  would  be  to  sup- 
pose that  "  My  Country,  't  is  of  Thee  "  was  written  by 
Dr.  Watts.  But  the  modern  theory  that  none  of  the 
psalms  are  Davidic,  is  equally  untenable.  The  truth 
lies  between  these  two  extremes.  And  when  we  speak, 
as  we  often  do,  of  the  whole  collection  as  the  "  Psalms 
of  David,"  we  mean  simply  that  he  was  the  greatest 
among  the  sweet  singers  of  Israel,  and  so  the  book 
naturally  bears  his  name.2 

We  are  free,  then,  to  read  these  sacred  lyrics  in  the 
light  of  history  and  criticism,  and  to  try  to  discover,  as 

1  Ewald,  Commentary  on  the  Psalms,  voL  L  p.  3. 
a  Perowne,  voL  i.  p.  10. 


THE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK  1 

far  as  we  can,  the  ages,  the  authors,  and  the  circum- 
stances from  which  they  have  come  down  to  us.  It  is 
true  that  it  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  do  this.  For,  as 
pure  poetry  and  as  religious  teaching,  the  psalms  will 
always  have  their  own  value,  independent  of  their  age 
and  authorship.  But  it  is  surely  desirable  for  us  to 
know  as  much  about  them  as  possible.  Every  point  of 
contact  that  we  can  find  between  these  songs  and  the 
lives  of  real  men,  every  circumstance  that  links  them 
to  actual  human  experience,  helps  to  illuminate  and 
vivify  their  meaning.  Just  as  we  gain  a  new  insight 
into  "  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way "  from  the 
knowledge  of  poor  Cowper's  attempt  at  suicide,  and  a 
better  understanding  of  "  One  there  is  above  all  others  " 
from  the  story  of  John  Newton's  strange  life ;  just  as 
"  Lead,  kindly  Light "  shines  with  a  clearer  radiance 
when  we  know  about  Newman's  troubled  voyage  on  the 
Mediterranean  (and  in  spirit  on  more  stormy  waters), 
and  "  Abide  with  me  "  becomes  more  precious  when  we 
remember  Henry  Lyte's  last  Communion  ;  so  these  an- 
cient Hebrew  psalms  must  be  more  valuable  to  us  when, 
out  of  the  far-distant  past,  we  can  catch  some  echoes, 
however  faint,  of  their  human  histories. 

In  studying  the  psalms  with  such  a  purpose  as  this, 
we  find  three  things  to  help  us  : 

First  of  all  are  the  inscriptions  or  titles  which  have 
been  prefixed  by  the  compilers  of  the  book  to  many 
of  the  separate  lyrics.  There  are  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  of  these  titles ;  and  only  thirty-four  of  the 
psalms,  being  without  inscriptions,  are  called  by  the 
quaint  Jewish  writers  "  the  orphans."  In  regard  to 


8  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

these  titles,  it  is  important  to  remember  that  they  are 
not  parts  of  the  poems  which  they  describe.  They 
were  added  by  later  hands,  just  as  the  editor  of  a 
hymn-book  adds  his  notes.  They  vary  considerably  in 
the  different  editions  of  the  book.  They  have  no  in- 
spired authority,  and  their  correctness,  like  that  of  the 
superscriptions  and  postscripts  of  the  New  Testament 
Epistles,1  is  a  fair  subject  for  consideration  and  discus- 
sion, even  among  those  who  hold  the  strictest  doctrine  of 
inspiration.  At  the  same  time  they  are  unquestionably 
of  great  antiquity,  and  it  would  be  folly  to  reject  them. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  "  they  give  us  the  earliest  infor- 
mation we  have  as  to  the  origin  and  authorship  of  these 
poems,  and  are  therefore  of  priceless  historical  value."  2 
They  are  to  be  accepted,  if  not  with  absolute  confi- 
dence, yet  with  great  respect,  and  corrected  only  where 
we  have  good  grounds  for  believing  that  they  are  in 
error. 

Our  second  help  in  tracing  the  authorship  and  date 
of  the  psalms,  is  to  be  found  in  their  historical  allu- 
sions. The  mention  of  the  fall  of  Poland  and  the 
death  of  Kosciusko  in  the  "  Pleasures  of  Hope  "  would 
justify  us,  in  face  of  any  tradition  to  the  contrary,  in 
saying  that  the  poem  must  have  been  written  at  some 
time  contemporaneous  with,  or  subsequent  to,  these 
events.  And  in  like  manner  an  allusion  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  or  the  captivity  of  Zion  makes  us 
sure  that  the  psalm  which  contains  it  could  not  have 
been  written  by  David  or  Solomon. 

The  third  means  by  which  we  are  helped  in  following 

1  Perowne,  vol.  i.  p.  104.  2  Murray,  Origin,  etc.,  p.  105. 


THE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK  9 

the  story  of  the  psalms,  is  the  analogy  of  style  and 
language.  This  method  ought  to  be  used  with  the 
greatest  care  and  modesty,  for,  even  from  a  literary 
point  of  view,  there  is  nothing  more  perilous  and  more 
likely  to  lead  into  folly  than  the  self-confidence  of 
what  is  called  the  Higher  Criticism.  But  at  the  same 
time  every  man,  every  age,  has  a  distinctive  tone  and 
manner  of  speech.  And  in  determining  whether  a 
particular  psalm  was  written  by  David  or  Solomon  or 
Moses,  we  have  a  right  to  compare  it  with  what  we 
already  know  of  the  style  and  character  of  these  men 
from  their  other  writings  and  the  age  in  which  they 
lived. 

Even  with  all  these  things  to  help  us,  there  are  many 
of  the  psalms  which  must  remain  practically  anony- 
mous and  unconnected  with  any  historical  event.  They 
come  out  of  darkness,  and  we  must  take  them  simply 
for  what  they  are  to  us,  and  not  for  what  they  were 
once  to  other  men.  And  in  regard  to  those  whose 
authorship  has  been  most  fully  discussed,  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  wide  differences  of  opinion  have  prevailed. 
There  is  a  Jewish  legend  which  alludes  to  this  fact  in 
a  grimly  humourous  way.  It  tells  how  David  in  the 
other  world,  wishing  to  know  what  treatment  he  had 
received  at  the  hands  of  his  commentators,  summoned 
them  to  appear  before  him.  All  of  them,  says  the 
legend,  had  found  their  resting-place  in  the  lower  re- 
gions ;  but  at  his  command  they  came  running  up  with 
their  books  under  their  arms,  and  spread  them  open 
for  his  inspection.  The  great  king  asked  them  first  of 
all  what  they  had  made  out  of  the  sixty-eighth  psalm, 


10  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

—  one  of  the  most  difficult  in  the  book.  Upon  this  a 
babble  of  confusion  arose,  and  all  the  learned  men  fell 
foul  of  each  other  with  words  and  blows,  disputing 
about  its  history  and  interpretation,  until  at  last,  driven 
frantic  by  their  wrangling,  David  sent  them  all  back 
to  their  home  in  Limbo. 

If  this  present  volume  were  large  enough  to  take  up 
all  the  psalms,  or  if  it  attempted  to  enter  deeply  into 
these  vexed  questions,  it  might  involve  us  in  the  old 
disputes,  and  deserve  to  be  consigned  to  the  same 
place  with  the  Jewish  commentators.  But  since  it 
deals  only  with  a  few  of  the  simpler  and  more  familiar 
psalms,  and  since  it  does  not  advance  any  conclusions 
dogmatically  and  by  way  of  controversy,  but  only  by 
way  of  probability  and  illustration,  it  may  perhaps 
serve  a  useful  though  modest  purpose,  and  throw  a 
little  light  upon  the  story  of  some  of  these  poems, 
which  are  better  known  and  loved  than  any  others  in 
the  world. 
^  One  thing  we  ought  not  to  forget,  —  and  perhaps 

V     ^J  this  is  the  best  place  to  speak  of  it,  —  and  that  is  the 
&     part  which  the  psalms  have  played  in  the  history  of 

^X         our  race.     It  is  marvellous  what  deep  hold  they  have 

^     v^    taken  upon  the  heart  of  humanity,  and  how  ceaselessly 
\J       they  have  reechoed  from  the  lips  of  men  in  every  land 

^T  and  language.  It  seems,  in  truth,  as  old  John  Donne 
has  said,  that  they  are  like  manna,  "  which  tasted  to 
every  man  like  that  he  loved  best.n 

With  the  music  of  psalrns  the  shepherds  and  plough- 
men cheered  their  toil  in  ancient  Palestine ;  and  to  the 
same  music  the  Gallic  boatmen  kept  time  as  they  rowed 


THE  HEBREW  HYMN-BOOK  11 

their  barges  against  the  swift  current  of  the  Rhone.  A 
psalm  supplied  the  daily  grace  with  which  the  early 
Christians  blessed  their  food  ;  and  the  same  psalm  was 
repeated  by  the  communicants  as  they  went  to  the 
Lord's  table.  St.  Chrysostom  fleeing  into  exile  ;  Mar- 
tin Luther  going  to  meet  all  possible  devils  at  Worms  ; 
George  Wishart  facing  the  plague  at  Dundee ;  Wicliffe 
on  his  sick-bed,  surrounded  by  his  enemies ;  John  Bun- 
yan  in  Bedford  gaol ;  William  Wilberforce  in  a  crisis 
when  all  his  most  strenuous  efforts  seemed  in  vain,  and 
his  noble  plans  were  threatened  with  ruin,  —  all  stayed 
their  hearts  and  renewed  their  courage  with  verses  from 
the  psalms.  The  Huguenots  at  Dieppe  marched  to 
victory  chanting  the  sixty-eighth  psalm  ;  and  the  same 
stately  war-song  sounded  over  the  field  of  Dunbar.  It 
was  a  psalm  that  Alice  Benden  sung  in  the  darkness 
of  her  Canterbury  dungeon ;  and  the  lips  of  the  Roman 
Paulla,  faintly  moving  in  death,  breathed  their  last 
sigh  in  the  words  of  a  psalm.  The  motto  of  England's 
proudest  university  is  a  verse  from  the  Psalms ;  and  a 
sentence  from  the  same  book  is  written  above  the  lone- 
liest grave  on  earth,  among  the  snows  of  the  Arctic 
circle.  It  was  with  the  fifth  verse  of  the  thirty-first 
psalm  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  commended  his  soul 
into  the  hands  of  God ;  and  with  the  same  words,  St. 
Stephen,  St.  Polycarp,  St.  Basil,  St.  Bernard,  St. 
Louis,  Huss,  Columbus,  Luther,  and  Melanchthon  — 
yea,  and  many  more  saints  of  whom  no  man  knoweth 
—  have  bid  their  farewell  to  earth  and  their  welcome 
to  heaven. 

And  so  it  is  that  these  psalms  come  to  us  with  a 


12       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

power  and  sweetness  which  have  grown  through  all  the 
centuries,  a  life  precious  and  manifold.  The  breath 
of  the  Eternal  is  in  them.  But  not  this  alone ;  for 
they  breathe,  also,  the  fragrance  of  all  that  is  highest 
and  best  in  the  mortal. 


II 

A  PRAYER  OF  MOSES  THE  MAN  OF  GOD 

PSALM  XC 


^ 
y 
0 


THE  PRAYER  OF  MOSES 


IN  this  psalm  we  hear  the  voice  of  the  ages.  Its  lan- 
guage is  filled  with  the  solemn  stateliness  of  a  remote 
antiquity,  and  every  phrase  comes  to  us  freighted  with 
the  experience  of  generations.  Week  after  week, 
through  many  centuries,  it  has  been  read  over  the 
graves  of  thousands  of  the  children  of  men,  and  there 
is  probably  no  one  dwelling  in  a  Christian  land  who 
has  not  heard  it  repeated  so  often  that  its  very  words 
have  become  familiar.  Yet  I  suppose  there  are  many 
of  us  who  have  never  associated  it  in  any  vital  way  with 
the  history  of  its  author,  and  some  of  us,  perhaps,  who 
have  never  even  thought  who  wrote  it.1 

But,  surely,  there  is  something  strangely  significant 
in  the  idea  that  this  funeral  psalm  antedates  all  the 
others,  and  that  it  was  probably  the  utterance  of  the 
£reatest  man  °f  *ne  Hebrew  race,  one  of  the  most 
colossal  and  heroic  personages  of  all  history,  the  man 
who  led  the  grandest  pilgrimage  that  ever  crossed  the 
earth,  and  talked  face  to  face  with  God,  and  at  last 

1  As  evidence  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  this  psalm,  in  addition  to 
the  general  consent  of  critics,  observe  its  resemblance  to  Deut.  xxxii.  , 
xxxiii.,  and  other  discourses  in  the  same  book.  Compare  also  v.  13 
with  Ex.  xxxii.  12,  and  v.  15  with  Deut.  viii.  2.  Read  also  the  intro- 
duction to  this  psalm  in  Perowne's  Commentary  and  in  Delitzsch. 


16  THL  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

died  in  mysterious  solitude,  and  was  buried  without  the 
presence  of  human  witnesses  or  the  touch  of  human 
hands  to  lay  him  in  the  grave.  If  any  one  ought  to 
know  the  meaning  of  our  mortal  existence,  surely  it  is 
he.  If  any  man  is  qualified  to  sum  up,  in  few  and 
weighty  words,  that  experience  which  is  common  to  us 
all,  and  make  the  personal  application  of  that  great 
sermon  which  every  death  preaches,  surely  this  is  the 
man.  And  we  ought  to  be  glad  that  he  has  done  it. 
We  have  something  better  than  any  funeral  address  in 
this  inspired  Prayer  of  Moses,  the  Man  of  God. 

The  story  of  his  life  divides  itself  into  three  parts, 
each  about  forty  years  long.  The  first  part,  beginning 
with  the  romantic  incident  of  the  ark  of  bulrushes  and 
the  Egyptian  princess,  was  passed  in  the  splendour  and 
luxury  of  a  royal  court.1  He  was  born,  according  to 
the  world's  phrase,  with  a  silver  spoon  in  his  mouth ; 
and  though  he  was  a  peasant's  child,  he  enjoyed  all  the 
privileges  that  the  most  exalted  rank  and  the  most 
abundant  wealth  could  give.  But  none  of  these  things 
contented  him.  His  soul  was  restless  and  ill  at  ease 
amid  all  the  pomps  and  pleasures  of  Pharaoh's  palace.2 
He  longed  to  be  free  from  the  golden  chains  of  an  alien 
luxury.  He  longed  to  do  something  for  his  oppressed 
and  down-trodden  people,  who  were  groaning  under 
the  yoke  of  the  same  capricious  despotism  which  had 
lifted  him  to  princely  dignity.  In  his  fortieth  year  he 
broke  away  with  violence  from  all  the  entanglements  of 
royal  favour,  and  entered  upon  the  second  part  of  his 
life,  a  sojourn  of  forty  years  in  the  wild  country  of 

1  Ex.  ii.  1-10.  2  Heb.  xi.  24-28. 


THE  PRAYER   OF  MOSES  17 

Arabia.  There  he  dwelt  among  the  awful  precipices 
and  lonely  valleys  of  Horeb,  guarding  the  flocks  of 
Jethro,  his  father-in-law,  and  communing  in  solitude 
with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God.1  It  was  a  life  of 
self-conquest,  and  discipline,  and  profoundest  medita- 
tion on  the  great  truths  of  religion.  But  even  this  did 
not  satisfy  him ;  for  out  of  it  there  came  the  secret, 
resistless  call  to  return  to  Egypt  and  take  up  the 
burden  of  his  people's  shame  and  trouble.  And  so  he 
entered  upon  the  third  part  of  his  life.  Armed  with 
no  other  symbol  of  authority  than  the  shepherd's  staff 
upon  which  he  had  leaned,  and  with  which  he  had 
directed  his  sheep  in  the  desert,  he  went  back  to  the 
royal  court  to  defy  and  overcome  the  king,  to  gather 
the  children  of  Israel  and  lead  them  out  through  the 
wilderness  to  a  new  country  and  a  new  life. 

This  was  his  great  work,  for  which  all  the  preceding 
years  had  been  only  a  preparation.  In  this  work  he 
succeeded,  and  failed.  He  accomplished  the  Divine 
purpose,  but  he  did  not  accomplish  his  own  hope.  He 
made  the  Israelites  a  nation,  but  he  left  them  without 
a  country.  He  led  them  to  the  border  of  the  prom- 
ised land,  but  he  never  set  his  foot  within  it.2  Only 
with  his  eyes  did  he  behold  its 

"  Sweet  fields  beyond  the  swelling  flood," 

and  then  laid  down  his  finished,  uncompleted  task,  and 
sung  his  own  funeral  hymn.  Forty  years  of  almost 
superhuman  labour  as  the  uncrowned  monarch  of  a 
great  people ;  forty  years  of  forbearance  with  the  in- 
credible folly  and  perversity  of  his  followers ;  forty 

1  Ex.  iii.  1-17.  a  Dent,  xxxiv.  4. 


18  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

years  of  homeless  wandering  as  in  a  maze  through  a 
desert  which  might  have  been  crossed  in  forty  days ; 
forty  years  of  trouble,  in  which  he  had  seen  all  his 
companions,  save  two,  fall  and  die  by  the  way ;  —  and 
now  it  is  all  ended,  and  Moses,  lifted  in  the  spirit  far 
above  the  level  of  the  thoughts  of  ordinary  men,  will 
tell  us  in  this  psalm  what  it  all  means. 

1.  "  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in  all 
generations."  This  is  the  first  thought  that  comes  into 
the  mind  of  the  venerable  pilgrim.  Solemn,  majestic, 
tranquillizing,  it  rolls  forth,  like  the  deep  music  of  a 
mighty  organ,  the  truth  of  the  eternal  dwelling-place  in 
God.  It  seems  as  if  he  must  have  been  looking  back 
into  the  far-distant  past,  retracing  the  line  of  his  life 
through  the  labyrinth  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  terrors 
of  Mount  Sinai,  and  the  waters  of  the  Ked  Sea,  and  the 
struggle  with  the  hard-hearted  Pharaoh,  and  the  lonely 
pastures  of  Horeb,  and  the  perilous  intrigues  and  un- 
congenial luxuries  of  the  court,  back  to  the  time  when 
he  was  cast  out  as  a  waif  upon  the  waters,  cradled  only 
in  the  care  of  his  Almighty  Father,  and  remembering 
that  through  all  these  years  his  only  true  home  had 
been  in  God.  But  his  thought  must  have  gone  back 
even  beyond  this  to  the  lives  of  those  who  had  gone 
before  him :  Joseph  and  Jacob  and  Isaac  and  Abra- 
ham and  Noah  and  Enoch,  and  all  the  fathers  of  the 
faith,  —  these  also  had  been  strangers  upon  earth  and 
dwellers  in  God.  A  tent  for  the  wandering  body,  but 
an  everlasting  mansion  for  the  believing  soul,  —  this  is 
what  Moses  saw  ;  this  is  what  we  can  see,  when  we 
take  a  long,  true  look  at  life.  Wherever  thou  art,  if 


THE  PRA  YER  OF  MOSES  19 

thou  belicvest  in  God,  He  is  thy  roof  to  shelter  thee, 
He  is  thy  hearth  to  warm  thee,  He  is  thy  refuge  and 
thy  resting-place.  If  once  thou  hast  found  this  home 
and  entered  it,  thou  canst  not  be  defenceless  or  forlorn, 
for  He  who  remains  the  same  amid  all  uncertainties 
and  changes,  He  whose  goodness  antedates  creation 
and  whose  faithfulness  outwears  the  mountains,  He 
with  whom  there  is  no  variableness  nor  shadow  of  turn- 
ing, is  thy  habitation  and  thy  God. 

How  this  truth  steadies  and  confirms  the  soul !  It 
is  like  a  great  rock  in  the  midst  of  hurrying  floods ; 
and  from  this  standing-place  we  can  look  out  serenely 
upon  the  mutabilities  of  life. 

2.  Thus  Moses  comes  to  his  second  thought;  the 
strange  contrast  between  the  eternal  God  and  His 
ephemeral  creatures ;  the  swift  and  shadowy  course  of 
mortal  life  under  the  changeless  heavens.  He  had 
lived  nearly  twice  as  long  as  you  and  I  can  hope  to 
live,  and  yet  it  all  seemed  to  him  like  the  flowing  and 
ebbing  of  a  rapid  tide,  the  growth  and  withering  of  a 
field  of  grass,  the  imperceptible  flight  of  a  brief  watch 
in  the  night.  Doubtless  there  were  peculiar  facts  in 
his  own  history  which  coloured  his  impressions,  and 
which  we  can  trace  in  the  different  verses  of  the  psalm. 
He  had  seen  the  hosts  of  Egypt  carried  away  with  a 
flood ;  he  had  seen  the  sons  of  Korah  cut  down  in  a 
moment  and  consumed ;  he  had  seen  the  thousands 
who  had  come  out  with  him  from  Egypt  laid  in  their 
desert  graves,  because  they  had  incurred  the  anger  of 
God  by  their  perversity  and  chosen  to  pass  away  their 
days  in  His  wrath.  But  still  his  view  of  life  is  the 
same  that  has  been  taken  by  all  wise  men. 


20       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Life  is  a  dream.  While  we  are  in  it,  it  seems  to  be 
long  and  full  of  matter.  But  when  it  draws  to  an  end, 
we  realize  that  it  has  passed  while  the  clock  was  strik- 
ing on  the  wall.  "  As  I  look  back,"  says  the  old  man, 
"  it  seems  to  me  but  yesterday  that  I  first  knew  I  was 
alive." 

Life  is  a  troubled  dream.  It  does  not  flow  smoothly. 
It  has  moments  of  distress  and  fear.  And  the  cause 
of  its  disturbance  is  our  secret  sin  which  God  sets  in 
the  light  of  His  countenance.  Our  physical  transgres- 
sions against  the  laws  of  our  wellbeing,  which  bear 
their  fruits  in  aches  and  pains  and  infirmities;  our 
spiritual  transgressions,  the  evil  passions  of  anger  and 
envy  and  lust,  which  we  have  harbored  in  our  hearts 
until  they  have  filled  us  with  conflict  and  discontent ; 
all  those  faults  and  follies  of  which  we  in  our  blindness 
were  ignorant,  but  which  the  All-wise  God  could  not 
help  seeing,  have  sown  the  seeds  of  trouble,  and  we 
have  reaped  the  harvest  of  grief. 

Life  is  an  unfinished  dream.  Even  when  it  is  drawn 
out  to  its  full  length,  even  when  an  uncommon  strength 
enables  us  to  carry  the  burden  on  beyond  the  limit  of 
threescore  and  ten,  the  thread  is  suddenly  cut  off,  and 
we  fly  away  in  haste.  Death  is  always  a  surprise. 
Men  are  never  quite  ready  for  it.  The  will  is  left  un- 
written. The  enterprise  halts  uncompleted.  The  good 
deed  is  not  accomplished.  The  man  who  says,  "  I  will 
devote  my  fortune  now  to  the  service  of  God  and  hu- 
manity," flies  away  suddenly,  and  his  wealth  is  squan- 
dered by  the  spendthrift  heir.  The  man  who  resolves 
to  be  reconciled  to  his  enemy  and  die  at  peace  with  all 


THE  PRAYER   OF  MOSES  21 

mankind,  is  cut  off  in  a  moment,  and  the  words  of  re- 
pentance and  forgiveness  are  never  spoken.  It  is  the 
old  story.  Moses,  who  lived  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years,  died  too  soon,  for  he  never  entered  the  land  of 
his  pilgrimage,  and  his  dream  was  left  unfinished. 

Well,  then,  life  is  a  disappointment.  But  do  you 
not  see  that  if  you  have  learned  this  beforehand,  it  can 
never  disappoint  you  ?  The  mistake  is  that  we  expect 
too  much  from  the  world.  We  find  fault  with  it,  and 
mourn  over  it,  and  berate  it,  because  it  is  not  heaven. 
But  indeed  it  is  a  very  good  world,  if  we  will  only  take 
it  for  what  it  is.  It  is  a  place  of  pilgrimage,  and 
surely  pilgrimage  has  its  advantages  and  pleasures. 
It  is  a  place  of  discipline,  and  surely  adversity  hath 
its  sweet  uses.  It  is  the  place  where  our  years  pass 
away  like  a  tale  that  is  told  ;  but  then  remember  that 
it  is  God  who  is  telling  the  tale  ;  and  if  we  will  only 
listen  to  Him  in  the  right  spirit,  the  progress  of  the 
story  will  be  wonderfully  interesting  and  its  sequel 
wonderfully  glorious.  For  this  is  the  secret  of  it  all, 
that  life  is  not  broken  off  short,  but  carried  on  in  an- 
other  sphere ;  and  the  one  thing  that  we  need  to  learn 
now  is  how  to  live  so  that  the  first  volume  shall  be 
good  and  the  second  shall  have  the  promise  of  being 
better. 

3.  So  Moses  comes  to  his  prayer,  which  is  at  once 
a  petition  to  God  and  an  instruction  to  men.  It  shows 
us  what  things  we  ought  to  desire  and  ask,  in  view  of 
the  shortness  of  life ;  and  it  urges  us,  by  a  logic  which 
does  not  need  words,  to  set  ourselves  earnestly  to  the 
attainment  of  these  desires.  For  there  is  no  good  in 


22       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

praying  for  anything  unless  you  will  also  try  for  it. 
All  the  sighs  and  supplications  in  the  world  will  not 
bring  wisdom  to  the  heart  that  fills  itself  with  folly 
every  day,  or  mercy  to  the  soul  that  sinks  itself  in  sin, 
or  usefulness  and  honour  to  the  life  that  wastes  itself 
in  vanity  and  inanity. 

There  are  three  chief  things  here  for  which  Moses 
prayed,  and  for  which  he  laboured,  and  which,  by  the 
favour  of  God,  he  received. 

First,  such  a  sense  of  the  brevity  of  life  as  to  lead  to 
its  utmost  improvement.  If  your  cup  is  small,  fill  it 
to  the  brim.  Let  it  be  multum,  in  parvo.  Make  the 
most  of  your  opportunities  of  honest  work  and  pure 
pleasure.  If  we  had  twice  as  much  time  to  spend,  we 
could  not  afford  to  squander  any  of  it  on  vain  regrets, 
or  anxious  worriments,  or  idle  reveries.  The  best 
thing  that  we  can  get  is  what  the  text  calls  "  a  heart 
of  wisdom  "  ;  for  such  a  heart  is  full  of  medicine  for 
the  day  of  sickness,  and  music  for  the  day  of  sadness, 
and  strength  for  the  day  of  trial,  and  riches  for  eter- 
nity. Remember  that  what  you  possess  in  the  world 
will  be  found  at  the  day  of  your  death  to  belong  to 
some  one  else ;  but  what  you  are,  will  be  yours  forever. 

The  second  thing  for  which  Moses  prays  is  such  an 
early  sense  of  the  mercy  of  God  as  to  fill  every  day 
with  joy.  And  the  word  "  early,'*  which  is  used  here, 
means  "  in  the  morning,"  at  the  beginning  of  life.  It 
is  a  great  blessing  to  know  God  in  childhood,  so  that 
not  a  single  day  need  be  passed  in  ignorance  of  His 
merciful  kindness,  not  a  single  trial  need  be  borne 
without  His  help,  not  a  single  pleasure  need  be  en- 


THE  PRAYER   OF  MOSES  23 

joyed  as  if  it  were  the  careless  gift  of  chance  or  the 
theft  of  our  own  cleverness.  Moses  had  a  life  like 
this  :  he  belonged  to  God  in  the  morning,  and  he  re- 
joiced in  His  mercy  until  the  evening.  There  are  many 
who  have  had  the  same  privilege,  and  some  who  have 
thoughtlessly  thrown  it  away.  Let  us  be  sure  that  a 
whole  life  spent  with  God  is  better  than  half  a  life. 
There  is  no  satisfaction  in  anything  without  His 
mercy;  therefore  seek  it  at  once.  It  is  better  late 
than  never,  but  it  is  far  better  early  than  late. 

The  third  thing  for  which  Moses  prays  is  a  share  in 
the  work  and  glory  and  beauty  of  God.  The  words 
in  which  he  asks  for  this  are  magnificent  and  full  of 
meaning.  4  Let  thy  work  appear  unto  thy  servants ; 
give  us  some  knowledge  of  thy  great  and  holy  pur- 
poses ;  let  us  'see  thy  beneficent  activity  in  the  world ; 
and  let  the  glorious  accomplishment  of  thy  plans  be 
fest  unto  our  children.  Send  thy  beauty  upon 
us ;  order  and  harmonize  our  designs  according  to  thy 
great  wisdom  ;  and  establish  thou  the  work  of  our 
hands ;  build  the  little  stones,  which  we  can  hew  and 
polish,  into  thy  great  cathedral,  so  that  they  shall  en- 
dure forever;  yea,  the  work  of  our  hands,  establish 
thou  it.' 

This  is  the  deepest  prayer  of  every  true  man  and 
woman.  We  cannot  bear  to  think  that  all  our  hopes 
and  labours  must  vanish  into  thin  air  as/oon  as  we  are 
gone.  We  long  to  leave  something  behind  us  which 
shall  last,  some  influence  of  good  which  shall  be  trans- 
mitted through  our  children,  some  impress  of  char- 
acter or  action  which  shall  endure  and  perpetuate 


24       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

itself.  There  is  only  one  way  in  which  we  can  do  this, 
only  6ne  way  in  which  our  lives  can  receive  any  lasting 
beauty  and  dignity ;  and  that  is  by  being  taken  up 
into  the  great  plan  of  God.  Then  the  fragments  of 
broken  glass  glow  with  an  immortal  meaning  in  the 
design  of  his  grand  mosaic.  Then  our  work  is  estab' 
lished,  because  it  becomes  part  of  His  work. 

And  so  the  psalm  ends  with  a  large  and  hopeful 
look  towards  the  future,  as  it  began  with  a  reverent 
and  grateful  look  towards  the  past.  It  has  been  well 
said  that  it  stands  like  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  which 
followed  Moses  through  the  desert.  One  side  is  dark, 
the  other  side  is  bright.  For  when  we  look  towards 
the  earth  we  see  the  shadow  of  death,  and  hear  the 
voice  which  cries,  "  All  flesh  is  grass."  But  when  we 
look  towards  heaven  we  see  the  light  of  God,  and  hear 
that  other  voice  which  says,  "  For  they  rest  from  their 
labours,  and  their  works  do  follow  them." 


HI 


A  SHEPHERD'S  SONG  ABOUT  HIS 
SHEPHERD 

PSALM  XXIII 


A  SHEPHERD'S  SONG. 


THIS  is  a  shepherd's  song  in  praise  of  his  Shepherd. 
We  all  know  who  wrote  it,  and  about  Whom  it  was 
written.  The  boy  David  who  kept  his  father's  flocks 
upon  the  hills  of  Bethlehem,  and  the  good  Lord  who 
took  care  of  him  while  he  was  minding  the  sheep,  — 
the  faithful  human  guardian  and  the  all-merciful 
Divine  Protector,  —  these  are  the  two  figures  that  rise 
before  us,  as  we  hear  the  music  of  this  heavenly  pastoral 
floating  down  beside  the  still  waters  and  across  the 
green  pastures  and  through  the  quiet  valleys  of  that 
mountain-land. 

There  are  many  who  think  that  this  psalm  was  not 
actually  composed  until  the  later  years  of  David's  life. 
They  regard  it  as  a  reminiscence  of  his  youth,  seen 
through  the  mellowing  mists  of  far-away  years,  and  grow- 
ing more  beautiful  as  the  landscape  wins  enchantment 
from  distance.  They  think  that  the  table  spread  in  the 
presence  of  enemies  is  an  allusion  to  the  hospitality  of 
Barzillai  when  David  was  flying  from  Absalom ; :  that 
the  thought  of  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  is  the 
natural  apprehension  of  one  who  has  not  many  more 
years  to  live ;  and  that  the  spirit  of  tranquil  confidence 
i  2  Sam.  xvii.  27-29. 


28  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

which  pervades  the  psalm  is  like  the  glow  of  light  upon 
the  sunset  clouds,  the  calm  brightening  of  the  day 
which  draws  to  its  close. 

It  may  be  so.  Certainly  it  is  possible  for  an  aged 
person  to  use  this  psalm  in  the  serenity  of  tender  and 
blessed  memories.  But  it  seems  to  me  more  probable 
that  it  was  written  in  the  days  of  David's  youth,  and 
that  the  peaceful  light  which  shines  through  it  is  the 
glow  of  the  dawning,  rather  than  of  the  declining, 
day. 

For  observe,  it  is  a  psalm  of  hope:  "I  shall  not 
want,"  "I  shall  not  fear,"  "Goodness  and  mercy 
shall  follow  me,"  "  I  shall  dwell."  And  hope  is  the 
angel  of  the  young,  as  memory  is  the  angel  of  the  old. 
Observe  also  that  the  table  spread  in  the  midst  of  dan- 
ger can  be  referred  most  naturally  to  the  shelter  and 
refreshment  which  David,  dwelling  among  the  high- 
lands, may  have  given  to  some  fugitive  fleeing  from 
robbers  or  from  the  vengeance  of  his  foes.  There 
were  doubtless  many  such  refugees  coming  into  the 
hill-country,  some  of  whom  the  shepherd  David  may 
have  concealed  and  entertained,  as  the  warm-hearted 
Scotch  shepherds  sheltered  the  Young  Pretender  a  cen- 
tury ago.  The  anointing  of  the  head  with  oil,  if  it  is 
to  be  connected  with  any  definite  event,  suggests  the 
day  when  the  ruddy  shepherd-lad  was  called  in  from 
the  fields  to  receive  the  royal  chrism  from  the  hands  of 
old  Samuel.1  And  as  for  the  allusion  to  the  valley  of 
the  death-shade,  surely  we  know  that  the  young  think 
and  talk  about  death  more  frequently  than  the  old. 

i  1  Sam.  xvi.  1-13. 


A   SHEPHERD'S  SONG  29 

It  is  the  youthful  poet  who  binds  the  sad  garlands  of 
myrtle  about  his  head,  and  sings  the  most  melancholy 
strains  about  "  The  Weeping  Willow  "  and  "  Under 
the  Daisies."  The  flight  of  years,  the  familiarity  with 
life's  vicissitudes,  the  very  habit  of  living,  seem  to  make 
the  grave  more  distant  and  unreal  to  the  old  man  than 
it  appears  to  the  child.  It  is  strange,  but  true,  that 
this  poetic  reference  to  the  dark  shadow  is  one  of  the 
very  things  which  make  this  psalm  come  more  naturally 
from  David's  earlier,  than  from  his  later,  years. 

At  all  events,  we  shall  all  agree  that  it  is  a  good 
psalm  for  children  to  learn ;  and  that  much  of  its  pe- 
culiar beauty  comes  from  its  close  connection  with  the 
story  of  the  shepherd-boy  who  once  watched  his  flocks 
near  the  village  in  which  the  Good  Shepherd  was  born. 

In  order  to  understand  the  full  meaning  of  this  little 
song  and  feel  its  perfect  charm,  we  need,  first  of  all,  to 
remember  how  different  is  the  life  of  a  shepherd  in 
Syria  from  that  of  his  brother  in  England  or  America  ; 
and  how  much  closer  is  the  tie  which  binds  him  to  his 
helpless  charge  in  a  wild,  unsettled  country,  where  rob- 
bers and  fierce  beasts  abound,  than  it  can  possibly  be 
among  the  peaceful  hill-pastures  of  Vermont,  or  in  the 
smooth  meadows  of  a  city  park.  Here  you  shall  see 
the  sheep  left  to  take  care  of  themselves,  or  driven 
about  from  one  feeding  ground  to  another  by  a  man 
who  seems  to  be  little  more  than  a  policeman  to  them. 
But  in  Palestine  the  shepherd  must  be  the  "guide, 
philosopher,  and  friend  "  of  his  flock.  He  must  think 
where  he  can  find,  amid  the  drought  of  burning  sum- 
mer, the  narrow  strips  of  herbage  on  which  they  can 


80  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

feed,  and  the  unfailing  springs  where  they  can  drink. 
He  must  be  ready  to  rescue  them  from  the  fury  of 
mountain  torrents  when  they  rise  in  flood.  He  must 
guard  them  against  the  attacks  of  wild  animals,  as  he 
leads  them  through  the  black  defiles  of  the  hills  where 
the  shadows  of  rocks  and  bushes  hide  the  crouching 
forms  of  death.  Thus  David  had  to  meet  and  slay  the 
lion  and  the  bear  to  save  his  flock.1  He  must  be  pre- 
pared to  evade  or  repel  the  crafty  assaults  of  brigands 
who  will  not  hesitate  to  kill  him  in  order  to  carry 
away  his  sheep.  I  have  read  lately  of  a  faithful  man, 
between  Tiberias  and  Tabor,  who  "  actually  fought  three 
Bedouin  robbers  until  he  was  cut  to  pieces  by  their 
knives,  and  laid  down  his  life  among  the  sheep  he  was 
defending."  2  The  very  presence  of  dangers  like  these, 
the  vast  loneliness  of  the  desolate  hillsides,  the  absence 
of  all  human  intercourse  and  sympathy,  the  community 
of  hardship  and  of  pleasure  in  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
seasons,  create  a  living  bond  between  the  human  pro- 
tector and  his  dumb  companions.3  The  shepherd  knows 
his  sheep  and  calls  them  by  name.  He  does  not  drive 
them  before  him  as  he  moves  from  place  to  place.  He 
walks  in  front  of  them  and  calls.  They  follow  him 
for  they  know  his  voice.4  Great  as  the  difference  be- 
tween them  and  him  may  be,  their  lives  are  joined 
together.  He  gives  them  more  than  protection,  —  a 
tender,  watchful  care.  They  give  him  more  than  obe- 
dience, —  a  dumb,  trustful  love. 

1  1  Sam.  xvii.  34-36. 

2  W.  M.  Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book. 

8  F.  W.  Robertson,  Sermons,  The  Good  Shepherd,  p.  406. 
«  St  John  r.  3,  4,  6,  14,  15. 


A   SHEPHERD'S  SONG  31 

Now  something  like  this  was  the  life  which  the 
youngest  son  of  Jesse  lived  with  his  father's  flocks 
among  the  uplands  of  Judea.  There  might  be  feasting 
at  Bethlehem  where  the  seven  tall  brethren  sat  around 
their  father's  table ;  but  David  was  away  on  the  hills, 
with  his  frugal  fare  spread  upon  the  grass,  and  water 
of  the  brook  for  his  drink.1  There  might  be  fighting 
on  the  border  against  the  Philistines ;  Eliab,  Abinadab, 
and  Shammah  might  be  glorying  in  the  excitement  and 
bustle  of  Saul's  camp ;  but  David,  who  had  gone  up 
now  and  then  to  soothe  the  dark  monarch  with  the  mu- 
sic of  the  harp,  had  been  sent  back  again  to  the  lonely 
fields  to  feed  the  sheep.2  Silence,  solitude,  the  flocks 
noiselessly  moving  about  him,  the  eagle  sailing  in  slow 
circles  above  his  head,3  the  dawn  struggling  with  night 
on  the  far-away  hills,  the  dewdrops  sparkling  on  the 
grass,  the  loud  stream  rushing  through  its  rocky  bed, 
the  black  shadows  deepening  in  the  narrow  glen,  the 
sheep  gathering  nearer  to  him  and  couching  themselves 
in  the  twilight,  the  distant  roar  of  the  lion,  the  great 
stars  sliding  through  the  night,  the  trembling  fugitive 
sharing  his  plain  food  as  they  looked  down  together 
from  some  safe  eyrie  upon  the  pastures  below,  —  these 
were  the  forms  and  colours  of  David's  early  life ;  and 
out  of  them  he  weaves  a  beautiful  garment  to  clothe  his 
thought  of  God. 

"  All  that  I  try  to  do  for  these  helpless  sheep,"  says 
David  to  himself  one  day,  when  he  is  resting  in  a  hol- 
low of  the  hills,  and  looking  out  at  his  well-tended 

1  1  Sam.  xvi.  11.  2  1  Sam.  xvii.  13,  14,  15. 

8  Robert  Browning's  Poems,  "  Saul,"  xii. 


32       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

charge,  "all  the  watchfulness  and  kindness  and  pro- 
tection and  provident  companionship  which  I  give 
to  them,  God  has  bestowed  upon  me  in  infinitely 
greater  measure.  He  has  directed  my  course,  and  sup- 
plied my  wants,  and  given  me  the  power  to  enjoy  this 
lonely  life,  and  taken  care  of  me  amid  all  its  dangers. 
Truly  my  father's  sheep  are  well  tended.  But  as  for 
me,  —  the  Lord  is  my  Shepherd."  And  so  the  joyful 
song  rises  from  the  midst  of  the  feeding  sheep,  and 
flows  out  to  gladden  and  strengthen  the  heart  of  the 
world. 

There  are  three  notes  in  it  upon  which  we  may  well 
fix  our  attention :  The  note  of  contentment,  the  note 
of  courage,  and  the  note  of  confidence. 

1.  Contentment  is  expressed  in  the  first  three  verses, 
summing  themselves  up  in  the  words  "  I  shall  not,"  or 
I  can  not,  "  want."  They  remind  us  of  that  little  boy 
whom  Bunyan  saw  in  his  dream,1  minding  his  sheep  in 
the  Valley  of  Humiliation,  and  singing  to  himself  as  he 
sat  alone. 

"  He  that  is  down  need  fear  no  fall, 

"  He  that  is  low,  no  pride ; 
"  He  that  is  humble  ever  shall 

"  Have  God  to  be  his  guide. 

44  I  am  content  with  what  I  have, 

44  Little  he  it  or  much ; 
"  And,  Lord,  contentment  still  I  craTe, 
*4  Because  thou  savest  such." 

That  is  feeble  poetry  but  strong  sense ;  and  it  rhymes 
with  the  twenty-third  Psalm. 

1  The  Pilgrim1*  Progre*at  Part  II.,  p.  444. 


A   SHEPHERD'S  SONG  33 

David  had  very  little  of  what  we  should  call  luxury, 
or  abundance,  or  even  comfort,  in  his  early  life.  Plain 
fare,  a  lowly  couch,  the  simplest  pleasures :  but  he 
was  satisfied.  He  felt  his  soul  restored  and  enriched 
by  the  green  pastures  and  the  still  waters.  He  knew 
that  God  would  never  fail  to  provide  him  with  such 
things  as  he  really  needed.  It  would  be  well  for  us, 
amid  the  complexity  and  anxiety  of  our  modern  life,  if 
we  could  catch  something  of  his  spirit.  For  the  most 
part,  our  distress,  our  poverty,  our  carking  care  come, 
not  from  the  smallness  of  our  provisions,  but  from  the 
largeness  of  our  pampered  desires.  We  are  afraid 
that  we  shall  not  always  have  cake,  and  so  we  forget 
that  God  has  promised  that  His  children  shall  not  lack 
bread.  We  begin  to  put  our  foolish  trust  in  gold,  in 
clever  enterprises,  in  wise  investments,  in  daring  specula- 
tions, because  the  things  that  we  want  are  so  numerous 
and  so  costly.  A  little  plain  living  would  lead  to 
higher  thinking.  It  would  do  us  good,  it  would  do  our 
children  good,  if  we  should  learn  that  the  real  neces- 
sities and  the  best  joys  of  human  life  are  very  simple, 
and  for  these  we  have  a  right  always  to  trust  God. 

Why  should  we  be  disturbed,  and  harassed,  and 
filled  with  gloom,  at  the  chances  of  commerce  and  the 
changes  of  business  ?  Our  peace  of  mind  is  worth  more 
than  all  things  else,  and  this  we  can  keep  in  a  log 
cabin  or  in  a  hut  of  turf.  Is  not  this  the  lesson  which 
Christ  would  have  us  learn  from  the  lilies  and  the 
sparrows  ?  God  may  give  us  more  or  less,  but  so  long 
as  we  are  content,  it  will  always  be  enough  and  we  can 
not  want. 


34       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

2.  The  note  of  courage  rings  out  in  the  fourth  verse, 
and  is  expressed  in  the  words  "I  will  fear  no  evil." 
Observe,  he  does  not  say  that  no  evil  will  ever  come  to 
him.     For  he  knows  well  enough  that  there  are  many 
grievous  things  in  life,  and  hard  to  bear.     There  are 
perils  and  pains  and  persecutions  ;  there  are  sharp  con- 
flicts  and   sore  wounds;   and  at  the  last  there  is  a 
shadowed  valley  where  each  one  of  us  must  receive  the 
mortal  thrust.     We  can  not  get  through  these  things 
without  suffering.     But  do  we  not  know  that  infinitely 
more   suffering   is  caused   by  needless  fear  than   by 
actual  disaster  ?     Do  we  not  know  that  more  than  half 
our  trouble  is  borrowed  ?     Just  suppose  that  we  could 
get  rid  of  all  unnecessary  and  previous   terror ;  just 
suppose  that  we  could  be  sure  of  final  victory  in  every 
conflict,  and  final  emergence  out  of  every  shadow  into 
brighter  day ;  how  our  hearts  would  be  lightened,  how 
much   more   bravely  we   should  work  and  fight  and 
march  forward !     This  is  the  courage  to  which  we  are 
entitled  and  which  we  may  find  in  the  thought  that 
God   is   with  us  everywhere.     He   will   not   let   any 
one  destroy  us.     We  may  be  hurt,  but  we  can  never 
be  harmed.     The  course  of  our  journey  has  been  ap- 
pointed by  Him,  He  knows  the  way  even  through  the 
darkness,  and  its  goal  is  in  His  bosom.     Be  of  good 
cheer,  your  Shepherd  has  overcome  the  world. 

3.  The  note  of  confidence  rises  in  the  fifth  and  sixth 
verses  of  David's  song,  and  culminates  in  the  words, 
44 1  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever."     He 
is  sure  that  he  is  already  in  God's  house.     And  why  ? 
Because  he  finds  his  table  spread  and  his  head  anointed, 


A   SHEPHERD'S  SONG  35 

because  his  bounties  are  great  and  his  joy  is  deep,  be- 
cause he  is  satisfied  and  happy,  he  knows  that  this 
world  must  be  the  dwelling-place  of  God,  and  he  feels 
like  a  child  under  his  Father's  roof. 

But  will  this  always  continue  ?  Will  not  his  raptures 
vanish,  and  his  cup  grow  empty,  and  the  sense  of  be- 
ing at  home  in  the  world  which  is  so  beautiful  a  trait 
of  childhood  give  place  to  the  feeling  of  estrangement 
which  so  often  marks  old  age  ?  No ;  for  David  is  con- 
fident that  the  Divine  goodness  and  mercy  will  always 
follow  him  to  remind  him  where  he  is.  And  this  is 
true  for  us  all,  if  we  will  only  see  it.  There  are  a 
hundred  touches  of  kindness  that  come  to  us  every  day 
to  tell  us  that  we  are  not  orphans  or  outcasts  upon  the 
earth.  Every  trace  of  order,  every  gleam  of  beauty, 
every  provision  of  bounty  in  the  natural  world,  is  an 
evidence  that  it  is  God's  house.  "  For  he  hath  not 
left  himself  without  a  witness,  in  that  he  did  good,  and 
gave  you  from  heaven  rains  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling 
your  hearts  with  food  and  gladness."  l  There  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  ever  lose  this  deep  and  joyful 
sense  of  domesticity  in  God's  world.  The  discoveries 
of  science  need  not  take  it  from  us,  but  only  deepen  its 
wonder  and  reverence.  I  remember  one  of  the  wisest 
of  modern  scientific  men,  whom  it  was  my  privilege  to 
know  well.  He  kept  the  cheerful  faith  of  a  little  child, 
and  whether  he  was  botanizing  in  his  garden,  or  geolo- 
gizing on  the  top  of  some  high  mountain,  he  rejoiced 
like  one  who  was  at  home  in  the  house  of  his  Father. 

But  then,  if  this  is  what  the  world  is,  how  will  it  be 
when  we  have  to  leave  it  ?  Will  not  that  be  like  going 
1  Acts  xiv.  17. 


36       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

out  into  the  darkness  ?  No,  says  our  shepherd,  for  this 
is  only  a  part  of  the  great  mansion ;  there  are  many 
rooms  in  it ;  our  departure  is  only  a  going  from  one 
story  into  another ;  wherever  the  child  of  God  may  be, 
this  is  sure,  that  he  will  "  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  forever." 

We  are  far  from  wishing  to  read  any  meaning  into 
the  words  of  David  which  they  will  not  bear,  or  to  in- 
terpret his  experience  on  the  lines  of  our  faith.  There 
may  have  been  much  that  was  misty  and  imperfect  in 
his  views  of  a  future  life,  compared  with  ours.  But 
surely,  if  language  means  anything,  these  words  point 
us  to  a  secure  and  happy  future,  —  an  unbroken,  per- 
petual, conscious  fellowship  with  God.  And  so  the 
song  ends  with  an  onward  motion  and  an  upward 
flight. 

It  has  been  said  that  this  psalm  is  like  the  night- 
ingale, whose  music  charms  the  world.  But  the  night- 
ingale sings  only  at  night,  and  this  is  a  morning  song. 
There  is  another  bird  whose  melody  gives  us  a  sweeter 
and  brighter  comparison.  The  first  time  that  I  ever 
heard  the  skylark  was  on  the  great  plain  of  Salisbury. 
Sheep  were  feeding  and  shepherds  were  watching  near 
by.  From  the  contentment  of  her  lowly  nest  in  the 
grass  the  songstress  rdse  on  quivering  wings,  pouring 
out  a  perfect  flood  of  joy.  With  infinite  courage  the 
feathered  atom  breasted  the  spaces  of  the  sky,  as  if  her 
music  lifted  her  irresistibly  upward.  With  sublime 
confidence  she  passed  out  of  sight  into  the  azure ;  but 
not  out  of  hearing,  for  her  cheerful  voice  fell  yet  more 
sweetly  through  the  distance,  as  if  it  were  saying, 
"Forever,  forever!" 


rv 


A  SONG  FROM  A  CAVE 
TO  THE  TUNE  "  DESTROY  NOT" 


PSALM  LVII 


A  SONG  FROM  A  CAVE 


DAVID'S  confidence  that  he  should  always  dwell  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  was  put  to  a  severe  test  very 
early  in  his  experience.  For  the  title  of  this  psalm, 
which  there  is  good  reason  for  accepting  as  accurate,1 
tells  us  that  it  was  written  in  a  cave,  when  the  psalmist 
was  a  fugitive  before  the  wrath  of  Saul. 

There  were  two  occasions  on  which  David  took 
refuge  in  a  cavern.  The  first  was  when  he  occupied 
the  cave  of  Adullam  as  a  stronghold  (1  Sain.  xxii.  1)  ; 
the  second  was  when  he  dwelt  among  the  labyrinth 
of  caverns  in  the  wilderness  of  Engedi  (1  Sam.  xxiii. 
29).  It  is  possible  to  ascribe  the  psalm  to  either  of 
these  occasions,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  it  fits  in  more 
naturally  with  the  latter  than  with  the  former.2 

Let  us,  then,  endeavor  to  trace  in  a  rapid  way  the 
path  which  leads  from  the  green  pastures  of  Bethlehem 

1  Note  the  coincidences  between  this  psalm  and  others  of  the  same 
group.     The  opening  supplication  (Ivi.  1,  Ivii.  1) ;  the  comparison  of 
enemies  to  lions  (Ivii.  4,  vii.  2) ;  the  tongue  spoken  of  as  a  sword  (Ivii. 
4,  lix.  7) ;  the  digging  of  a  pit  by  the  wicked  (Ivii.  6,  vii.  15) ;  the  ref- 
uge under  the  shadow  of  God's  wings  (Ivii.  1,  xxxvi.  7). 

2  Mark  the  suddenness  of  David's  flight  from  the  personal  pursuit  oi 
Saul  (1  Sam.  xxiii.  26),  and  the  application  of  verse  6  of  the  psalm 
to  the  trap  into  which  Saul  fell  while  he  was  trying  to  catch  David 
(1  Sam.  xsiv.). 


40  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

to  the  mouth  of  this  black  cave  among  the  rocks  of 
Engedi,  and  follow  the  course  of  events  which  trans- 
formed David  from  a  happy,  care-free  shepherd-boy,  into 
an  outlawed  chief,  a  popular  hero,  and  the  involuntary 
rival  of  Saul  for  the  throne  of  Israel. 

I  say  the  involuntary  rival ;  for  it  is  clear  that  David 
did  not  thrust  himself  into  a  public  life,  or  seek  to 
climb  by  his  own  efforts  to  a  position  of  royal  dignity. 
He  was  quite  content  with  his  lonely  liberty  among  the 
sheep  on  the  hills.  It  may  be  that  he  even  preferred 
that  condition  to  any  other ;  and  it  is  certain  that  he 
was  happier  in  those  free,  untroubled  days  than  he  ever 
was  afterwards.  But  it  was  not  his  privilege  to  choose 
his  own  career.  He  was  not  permitted  to  remain  in 
the  place  of  his  birth  and  in  the  delightful  occupations 
of  his  boyhood.  The  doom  of  greatness  was  upon 
him.  He  was  destined  and  called  to  a  loftier  and  a 
harder  lot.  There  is  something  sublime  in  the  self- 
forgetf ulness,  the  absolute  indifference  to  outward  cir- 
cumstances, and  the  absolute  submission  to  the  Divine 
will,  with  which  David  moved  forward  to  meet  this 
destiny.1 

The  first  link  in  the  chain  was  the  solemn  anointing 
of  the  shepherd-lad  by  the  hands  of  the  prophet  Samuel.2 
David  did  not  seek  this  for  himself ;  he  did  not  come 
Tunning  in  among  his  brethren  to  claim  the  blessing. 
They  had  to  send  out  to  the  fields  to  find  him  ;  and 
when  he  came  he  received  the  honour  meekly  and  in 
silence. 

1  Lyra  Apostolica,   Ivii.     Quoted  by  Dean  Stanley,  Hist,  of  Jewish 
Church,  vol.  ii.  p.  55. 

2  1  Sam.  xvi.  11. 


A   SONG  FROM  A    CAVE  41 

The  next  link  was  the  command  of  King  Saul  that 
Jesse  should  send  his  youngest  son  to  play  upon  his 
harp  in  the  royal  presence,  and  soothe  the  melancholy 
which  had  fallen  upon  the  soul  of  that  strange  mon- 
arch.1 And  here  again  David  was  perfectly  passive. 
It  was  the  report  of  some  nameless  young  man,  who 
had  heard  the  little  shepherd's  music  by  chance,  which 
brought  him  to  the  royal  notice.  He  obeyed  the  mes- 
sage with  the  loyal  simplicity  of  a  child,  thinking  not 
of  his  own  advancement,  but  only  how  he  might  serve 
and  comfort  his  liege  lord,  —  the  mighty  hero,  the 
splendid  head  of  Israel,  who  was  so  mysteriously  tor- 
mented by  an  evil  spirit.  The  whole  range  of  history 
does  not  afford  a  more  beautiful  illustration  of  true- 
hearted  devotion  of  a  subject  to  his  king ;  nor  do  I 
know  where  we  can  find  a  more  attractive  picture  of 
the  heavenly  power  of  music  to  calm  and  to  console 
the  human  spirit.  Robert  Browning  has  written  per- 
haps his  grandest  poem  upon  this  theme.  It  is  entitled 
"  Saul."  And  if  you  have  patience  to  bear  with  the 
curious  inversions  and  perversions  of  his  style,  it  is  as 
good  a  commentary  as  you  can  read  upon  this  part  of 
David's  life.  We  see  here  the  beginning  of  that  pas- 
sionate admiration,  that  deep  and  tender  love,  that  un- 
swerving pity  and  devotion  which  he  always  cherished 
(even  through  the  undeserved  persecutions  and  the  un- 
sought conflicts  of  later  years)  for  his  noble,  misguided, 
unhappy,  self -destroyed  master  and  benefactor. 

The  third  link  in  the  chain  was  the  combat  with 
the  Philistine  giant,  Goliath.  In  this  also  David  was 

1  1  Sam.  xvi.  19. 


42  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

innocent  of  selfish  ambition.  He  was  drawn  into  the 
fight  by  the  circumstance  of  his  presence  in  the  camp 
on  an  humble  errand  of  service  from  his  father  to  his 
elder  brethren.1  His  only  thought  was  to  uphold  the 
honour  of  his  country  against  the  taunts  of  this  big, 
blustering  foreigner.  And  his  singular  victory  was 
borne  by  him  in  the  spirit  of  modesty  and  meekness. 
But  the  world  was  not  willing  to  let  the  giant-killer  es- 
cape unnoticed.2  Saul  sent  for  him  and  raised  him  at 
once  to  the  third  highest  position  in  the  kingdom.  The 
soul  of  Jonathan  the  crown-prince  was  knit  to  him  in 
the  bonds  of  an  admiring  friendship  which  has  become 
ideal  and  proverbial.  The  people  welcomed  him  with 
rapturous  applause  to  the  loftiest  pinnacle  of  popularity. 
In  all  this  David  behaved  himself  wisely.  But  Saul 
—  alas,  poor  Saul !  —  behaved  like  a  fool.  For  when 
he  heard  those  excitable  women  of  Israel,  who  had  once 
worshipped  him  as  their  greatest  hero,  coming  out  to 
meet  the  returning  army,  with  timbrels  and  instruments 
of  music,  dancing  and  singing,  — 

"  Saul  hath  slain  his  thousands, 
"  And  David  ten  thousands," 

he  was  very  wroth.  Envy,  the  besetting  devil  of  great 
men  who  are  not  quite  equal  to  their  greatness,  took 
possession  of  his  heart,  changed  his  love  into  hatred, 
and  filled  his  breast  with  gall.  Sullenly,  with  dark 
and  bloodshot  looks,  he  eyed  the  unconscious  rival  of  his 
fame.8  And  now  begins  that  long  struggle  of  David's 
loyalty  and  wisdom  to  escape,  without  resisting,  the 
jealous  fury  of  a  madman  who  was  at  the  same  time  his 

1 1  Sam.  rvii.  17.  2  1  Sam.  xriii  1-7.  *  1  Sam.  xviii.  9. 


A   SONG  FROM  A    CAVE  48 

king  and  the  father  of  his  dearest  friend.  Think 
what  it  must  have  been  for  David  to  live  in  an  atmos- 
phere like  this,  charged  with  an  electric  force  which 
might  break  forth  at  any  moment ;  think  what  it  must 
have  been  to  stand  singing  to  his  harp  before  his  master, 
and  to  see  that  great  spear  dart  from  the  darkness  like 
a  flash  of  lightning  and  quiver  in  the  wall  behind  him ; 
to  feel  that  every  honour  conferred  upon  him  might  con- 
ceal a  death-trap,  and  that  every  step  of  advancement 
was  meant  to  be  a  step  towards  destruction ;  to  know 
that  Jonathan  was  being  urged  to  sacrifice  the  friend 
to  the  father  and  assassinate  his  beloved  companion ;  to 
have  the  hand  of  the  eldest  princess  offered  to  him 
and  withdrawn  without  a  reason,  and  then  to  be  mar- 
ried to  the  younger  Michal  that  she  might  become  a 
snare  to  him  ;  to  see  once  more  the  spear  of  his  father- 
in-law  lifted  to  slay  him,  and  to  be  forced  to  fly  like  a 
criminal  under  the  cover  of  night,1  —  all  this  must 
have  been  unspeakably  hard  and  bitter  to  such  an  open, 
brave,  honourable  man  as  David.  I  reckon  he  thought 
that  sheep  were  pleasanter  companions  than  courtiers, 
and  that  a  raging  bear  was  less  to  be  dreaded  than  an 
angry  monarch. 

He  has  told  us  how  he  felt,  in  the  fifty-ninth  Psalm. 
This  is  described  in  the  title  as  having  been  written 
when  Saul  sent  his  servants  (after  that  last  affair  of 
the  spear)  to  watch  David's  house  and  kill  him  when  he 
came  out.  Its  contents  correspond  with  the  situation. 
Looking  down,  perhaps  from  the  house-top,  he  sees  his 
enemies  lying  in  wait  for  him.  He  hears  them  going 

*  1  Sam.  xix.  10. 


44       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

about  through  the  shadows,  growling  and  snarling  like 
dogs.1  He  knows  that  he  has  been  guilty  of  no  trans- 
gression to  deserve  their  hatred.  He  prays  that  they 
may  be  smitten  for  their  lies,  and  scattered  like  the 
homeless  dogs  which  they  are  imitating.2  He  is  secure 
in  his  innocence ;  for  loftier  even  than  the  strong 
house  in  which  he  is  hidden  with  his  faithful  princess 
Michal,  safe  against  all  the  assaults  of  wicked  men,  is 
his  high  tower,  the  God  of  mercy.3  Then  he  makes 
his  escape,  by  the  aid  of  his  wife,  through  the  window 
of  the  house ;  and  feeling  that  Saul's  enmity  is  incur- 
able, he  flees  into  the  country  and  becomes  an  outlaw. 

There  are  several  psalms  ascribed  to  this  period  of  his 
life.  The  seventh  was  written  concerning  the  words  of 
Gush  the  Benjamite,  a  wicked  man  who  slandered  him. 
The  fifty-second  was  written  when  Doeg  the  Edomite 
told  Saul  about  the  visit  of  the  fugitive  to  Ahimelech, 
and  thus  brought  destruction  upon  the  poor  little  city 
of  Nob.  The  fifty-sixth  was  written  when  the  Philis-. 
tines  took  him  in  Gath,  and  he  had  to  feign  insanity  in 
order  to  make  them  let  him  go.  The  thirty-fourth  was 
written  after  this  narrow  escape,  probably  when  he  was 
beginning  to  gather  a  larger  band  of  followers  around 
him  at  Adullam,  and  to  find  favour  with  the  people  by 
acting  as  a  sort  of  irregular  police  to  the  neighbor- 
hood.4 Through  all  these  perils  and  wanderings  David 
kept  two  things  :  his  firm  faith  in  God  and  his  loyal 
reverence  for  the  person  of  Saul.  The  king  was  bunt- 
ing him  like  a  wild  goat  among  the  rocks,  like  a  par- 

1  Pg.  lix.  6.  *  Ps.  lix.  13-15. 

«  Pi.  lix.  16,  17.  *  1  Sam.  rxiii.  1-& 


A   SONG  FROM  A    CAVE  45 

tridge  among  the  mountains ;  but  his  only  defence  was 
in  flight.  There  is  even  a  touch  of  humour  in  the  words 
with  which  he  describes  himself  to  Saul.  "  After  whom 
dost  thou  pursue  ?  After  a  dead  dog,  after  a  flea." 1 
He  seems  to  rely  solely  upon  his  insignificance  and 
agility.  He  will  not  present  himself  as  a  foeman 
worthy  of  the  royal  steel.  He  will  not  lift  his  hand 
against  the  Lord's  anointed,  his  whilom  hero  and 
friend.  He  will  not  fight,  but  run.  And  in  his  very 
flight  he  shows  the  noble  courage  of  one  who  has  con- 
quered himself  and  trusts  in  God. 

So  we  come  to  the  cave  of  Engedi,  high  up  among 
the  cliffs,  looking  down  by  the  sparkling  fountain  of 
the  wild  goats  and  the  little  plain  covered  with  palm- 
trees,  to  the  gloomy  waters  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

We  see  the  band  of  outlaws  sheltered  in  their  cavern 
among  the  rocks,  and  watching  the  host  of  their  baffled 
pursuers.  We  see  the  fierce  king,  wearied  with  his 
vain  chase,  turning  aside  from  his  followers,  and  com- 
ing into  the  shadow  of  that  very  cavern  to  rest.  We 
see  David  holding  back  his  unruly  men  from  the  ven- 
geance which  seemed  to  have  been  put  by  God  into 
their  hands.  We  see  him  bending  in  compassion  above 
his  unconscious  foe,  sparing  him  for  the  sake  of  old 
times,  cutting  a  piece  from  his  long  robe  instead  of  cut- 
ting his  throat.  We  hear  him  calling  after  the  king  as 
he  departs,  showing  the  fragment  of  the  garment,  and 
protesting  by  this  token  the  sincerity  of  his  friendship. 
We  see  the  great  tears  rolling  down  Saul's  wasted  face 
as  he  confesses  his  wrong-doing  and  implores  David',* 

1  1  Sam.  xxiv.  14. 


46       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

forgiveness.1  And  now  when  the  king  has  gone,  con? 
quered  by  kindness,  we  hear  the  outlaw  singing  this 
psalm  of  the  hiding-place. 

The  very  tune  to  which  it  is  set  is  significant.  For 
the  title  informs  us  that  it  was  sung  to  an  air  called 
"  Destroy  not ;  "  2  and  its  first  word  is  a  prayer  that 
God  would  exercise  towards  David  that  same  mercy 
which  David  had  just  exercised  towards  his  helpless 
enemy  Saul.  It  reminds  us  of  the  saying  of  the  great 
Son  of  David,  "  Blessed  are  the  merciful,  for  they  shall 
obtain  mercy."  3 

We  have  not  time  to  take  up  all  the  verses  of  this 
psalm  in  order ;  but  we  see  here  four  pictures  of  the 
soul,  which  we  may  well  consider  as  jewels  found  in  the 
cave. 

1.  The  soul  sheltered  under  the  wings  of  God. 

Verse  1.     "In  the  shadow  of  thy  wings  I  take  refuge." 

How  exquisite  is  the  beauty  of  this  figure,  and  how 
perfect  is  the  spiritual  repose  which  it  expresses! 
David  was  not  content  with  an  image  drawn  from  the 
cavern  in  which  he  had  found  shelter.  It  was  not 
enough  for  him  to  say  that  the  care  in  which  he  con- 
fided was  like  the  great  walls  and  overarching  roof  of 
the  cave.  He  felt  that  God  was  nearer  than  these, 
that  He  brooded  above  His  people  as  a  mother-bird 
covers  her  nest  with  her  own  feathers.  High  in  the 
air  the  cruel  hawks  go  sailing  by ;  but  they  cannot 
reach  the  nest ;  even  their  black  shadows  cannot  fall 
upon  it  so  long  as  it  is  protected  by  the  shadow  of 

1 1  Sam.  xrir.  17-22.  2  Al-taMeth.     Cf.  Is.  Ixv.  8. 

*  St  Matt.  v.  7. 


A  SONG  FROM  A    CAVE  47 

those  other,  greater  wings.  Do  you  remember  who  it 
was  that  looked  down  sorrowfully  from  the  Hill  of 
Olives  and  said,  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  how  often 
would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a 
hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings !  "  1  It  is 
the  same  figure,  consecrated  by  the  Divine  lips ;  and  it 
teaches  us  that  there  is  a  great  sheltering  love  which  is 
closer  to  us  than  any  evil  can  ever  come,  hiding  us 
securely,  not  only  from  harm,  but  also  from  fear.  For 
here,  it  seems  to  me,  is  the  peculiar  beauty  of  the 
simile.  It  makes  a  shadow  our  defence  from  shadows. 
The  only  thing  that  can  really  darken  the  soul  is  some- 
thing coming  between  it  and  God ;  but  that  is  im- 
possible so  long  as  the  soul  remembers  His  presence 
and  love.  He  touches  us  on  every  side  with  His  com- 
passionate care.  The  troubles  and  pains  of  life  are  all 
outside  of  that ;  they  are  away  beyond  the  protecting 
wings,  floating  by,  like  little  clouds,  like  hovering 
hawks ;  we  can  wait  in  security  until  these  "  calamities 
be  overpast."  Troubles  far  off :  God  very  near.  Calam- 
ities belong  to  time :  peace  is  part  of  eternity. 
2.  The  soul  sleeping  among  fierce  beasts. 

Verse  4.     "My  soul  is  among  lions." 

Here  the  figure  changes,  and  we  hear  David  de- 
scribing the  perils  of  his  situation.  He  is  like  the 
hunter  reclining  at  night  in  a  forest,  where  fiery  eyes 
gleam  upon  him  through  the  darkness,  and  savage 
roarings  shake  the  silence  all  around  him.  He  is  like 
Daniel  when  he  was  cast  into  the  lions'  den.  It  is  not 
that  his  confidence  is  weakened ;  but  only  f&at  Jlis 

1  St.  Matt,  xxiii.  37^ 


48       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

sense  of  the  surrounding  dangers  is  deepened  and  he 
would  give  a  most  vivid  picture  of  them.  And  indeed 
it  is  always  well  that  we  should  realize  our  perils  in 
the  world.  Let  us  enhance  and  magnify  our  security  ; 
but  let  us  remember  at  the  same  time  how  much  we 
need  it,  how  many  and  how  cruel  are  the  enemies  of 
the  soul.  This  earth  is  not  a  Garden  of  Eden ;  not 
even  a  menagerie  where  all  the  dangerous  animals  are 
caged.  There  are  plenty  of  wild  beasts  roaming  about, 
ready  to  bite  and  devour. 

There  is  something  particularly  apt  and  striking  in 
the  way  in  which  David  puts  all  the  power  of  his  foes 
in  their  mouths,  and  describes  them  as  being  full  of 
"  spears  and  arrows,  and  their  tongue  a  sharp  sword." 
It  seems  as  if  he  cared  less  for  their  attacks  upon  his 
life  than  for  their  assaults  upon  his  character.  What 
they  tried  to  do  to  him  did  not  hurt  him  so  much  as 
what  they  said  about  him.  And  in  this  we  can  all 
sympathize  with  David.  For  our  most  dangerous  en- 
emies are  those  who  threaten  us  with  their  mouths,  and 
the  sharpest  thrusts  we  have  to  bear  are  those  of  the 
slanderous  tongue,  more  swift  and  treacherous  than 
Saul's  great  spear. 

Cannibalism  is  dying  out  among  the  barbarous* 
tribes :  the  Fiji  islanders  have  given  it  up ;  but  it  still 
survives  among  the  most  highly  civilized  peoples.  You 
might  find  yourself  in  some  difficulty  if  you  invited 
a  company  of  friends  to  a  feast  in  which  the  principal 
dish  was  to  be  a  well-roasted  neighbor.  Everybody 
would  refuse  with  horror,  and  you  would  probably  be 
escorted  to  the  nearest  lunatic  asylum.  But  if  you 


A   SONG  FROM  A    CAVE  49 

wish  to  serve  up  somebody's  character  at  a  social  en- 
tertainment, or  pick  the  bones  of  somebody's  reputa- 
tion in  a  quiet  corner,  you  will  find  ready  guests  and 
almost  incredible  appetites.  How  cruel  are  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  wicked !  How  eager  and  indiscriminate 
is  the  hunger  of  gossip !  How  quick  some  men  are  to 
take  up  an  evil  report,  and  roll  it  as  a  sweet  morsel 
under  their  tongues,  and  devour  their  neighbors,  yes, 
even  their  friends !  Perhaps  some  of  my  readers  are 
doing  it  even  now,  chewing  the  cud  in  secret.  "  Yes," 
you  are  saying,  "  this  passage  applies  to  so  and  so. 
And  he  certainly  is  a  dreadful  gossip.  I  remember  he 
told  me  "  —  Stop,  friend,  the  passage  was  written  for 
you  and  me.  It  is  of  our  souls  that  the  fable  is  nar- 
rated, warning  us  each  one  to  set  a  guard  upon  our 
tongue  and  upon  our  thoughts  of  our  fellowmen.  Re- 
member that  charity  thinketh  no  evil,  much  less  re- 
peats it.  There  are  two  good  rules  which  ought  to 
be  written  upon  every  heart.  Never  believe  anything 
bad  about  anybody,  unless  you  positively  know  that  it 
is  true.  Never  tell  even  that,  unless  you  feel  that  it  is 
absolutely  necessary,  and  that  God  is  listening  while 
you  tell  it.  If  you  will  follow  these  rules  you  may  lie 
down  in  peace  among  the  lions,  for  you  will  not  be 
one  of  them ;  and  God  will  take  care  of  you  if  you 
keep  your  lips  from  evil  and  your  heart  from  guile. 
3.  The  soul  awaking  with  a  song. 

Verse  8.     "  Awake  up  my  glory :  awake  psaltery  and  harp : 
"  I  myself  will  awake  right  early." 

Thus  the  verse  runs  in   our   English  version:   but 
David  wrote  something  much  more  bold   and   poetic. 


60       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

For  the  last  word  is  not  an  adverb  but  a  noun;  it 
means  "  the  morning."  And  David's  thought  was  that 
the  joy  in  his  heart  would  arise  even  before  the  day- 
light. While  the  fringe  of  night's  mantle  was  still 
resting  upon  the  earth,  while  the  birds  were  silent  in 
the  hush  of  twilight  and  the  winds  still  waiting  with 
folded  wings  among  the  hills,  his  glory,  that  is  his  soul, 
would  be  up  and  stirring,  and  his  glad  song  would  fly 
out  among  the  vanishing  shadows,  and  he  himself  would 
"  awake  the  dawn." 1 

A  good  night  makes  a  good  morning.  When  the 
eyes  have  closed  with  pure  and  peaceful  thoughts,  they 
are  refreshed  with  the  sleep  which  God  giveth  to  his 
beloved,  and  they  open  with  cheerful  confidence  and 
grateful  pleasure.  To  the  jaded  worldling,  to  the  en- 
vious grumbler,  to  the  anxious,  eager  worshipper  of 
wealth,  to  the  slave  of  unholy  passions  and  the  doubter 
of  God's  goodness,  the  new  day  comes  as  a  care,  a 
burden,  a  bringer  of  trouble.  There  is  redness  of  eyes 
and  heaviness  of  head  and  reluctance  of  spirit.  But  to 
those  who  trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good,  to  those  who 
lie  down  with  thoughts  of  His  mercy  and  truth,  it  mat- 
ters not  whether  they  awake  in  a  curtained  chamber  or 
in  a  wild  cavern,  "  the  light  is  sweet,  and  it  is  a  pleas- 
ant thing  to  behold  the  sun."  And  it  is  well  also  when 
the  spiritual  powers  are  roused  with  the  physical.  It 
is  well  when  the  soul  is  active  and  excited  ;  moved  and 

1  "  A  cithern  used  to  hang  above  David's  bed ;  and  when  midnight 
came  the  north  wind  blew  among  the  strings,  so  that  they  sounded  of 
themselves ;  and  forthwith  he  arose  and  busied  himself  with  the  Tora 
until  the  pillar  of  the  dawn  ascended."  Talmud,  B.  Berachoth  3.  b., 
quoted  by  Delitzsch. 


A  SONG  FROM  A   CAVE  51 

thrilled  by  feeling,  as  the  flowers  in  the  field  are  stirred 
by  the  morning  breeze.  Then  the  sweet  odours  flow 
out.  The  bells  do  not  ring  until  they  swing.  The 
birds  do  not  please  us  until  they  leave  their  nests  and 
begin  to  warble  their  sweet  notes.  And  even  David's 
piety  has  not  fulfilled  itself  until  it  has  made  him 
"praise  God  among  the  people  and  sing  unto  Him 
among  the  nations." 

So,  then,  we  can  see  the  outlaw  rising  from  his  rude 
couch,  taking  his  harp  from  its  resting-place,  and 
sweeping  his  hand  joyously  over  its  strings  as  he  comes 
down  through  the  shadows  of  the  cave.  He  stands 
in  the  cavern's  mouth.  He  looks  out  upon  the  trick- 
ling fountain,  and  the  rich  verdure  which  marks  its 
course  through  the  little  oasis  among  the  limestone 
cliffs.1  He  sees  the  last  star  fading  in  the  sky,  the 
faint  glow  creeping  up  the  eastern  horizon,  the  stir  of 
life  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  the  sun  lifting  himself 
beyond  the  Dead  Sea  and  rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to 
run  a  race.  But  he  sees  more  than  this.  He  sees  an 
image  of  something  spiritual  and  transcendent.  For 
here  in  the  last  verse  of  the  Psalm  we  find  the  fourth 
picture. 

4.  The  soul  watching  the  sunrise  of  God. 

Verse  11.     "  Be  thou  exalted,  O  God  above  the  heavens. 
"  Let  thy  glory  be  above  all  the  earth." 

The  thought  of  the  Divine  excellence  and  beauty, 
how  far  it  is  exalted  above  us  and  yet  how  sweetly  it 
shines  upon  us,  how  it  belongs  to  the  lofty  and  eternal 
sphere  of  heaven,  but  also  to  the  lowly  and  familiar 

1  Stanley,  Sinai  and  Palestine,  p.  289. 


52       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

sphere  of  earth,  how  it  rises  like  the  sun,  far  away 
from  us,  and  yet  sheds  its  light  and  joy  upon  us  and 
upon  every  living  thing,  —  this  is  the  most  sublime, 
comforting,  and  elevating  thought  that  can  ever  visit 
the  soul.  It  does  not  matter  so  much,  after  all,  what 
happens  to  us,  whether  we  are  obscured  or  honoured, 
whether  we  are  praised  or  condemned,  whether  we  are 
lifted  up  or  cast  down,  provided  only  we  can  see  God 
rising  above  the  horizon,  and  filling  not  alone  the 
heaven,  but  also  the  earth,  with  His  glory.  The  tri- 
umph of  His  truth,  the  spread  of  His  gospel,  the  vic- 
tory of  His  redeeming  love  over  the  darkness  of  sin,  — 
these  are  our  triumphs  and  joys.  For  the  Lord  God  is 
our  sun,  and  while  He  shines  we  are  happy  and  the 
world  is  bright. 


A  MARCHING  CHORUS 

PSALM  XXIV 


A  MARCHING  CHORUS 


THERE  is  a  great  change  between  the  music  of  this 
psalm  and  that  to  which  we  have  just  been  listening. 
Here  we  have  no  longer  the  plaintive  solo  of  a  solitary 
minstrel,  but  the  choral  song  of  a  multitude : 

"  An  awful,  jubilant  voice, 
With  a  music  strange  and  manifold, 
Flows  forth  on  a  carol  free  and  bold, 
As  when  a  mighty  people  rejoice, 
With  shawms,  and  cymbals,  and  harps  of  gold ; 
And  the  tumult  of  their  acclaim  is  rolled 
Through  the  open  gates  of  the  city  afar."  l 

We  have  come  out  of  the  wilderness  of  exile ;  we  have 
left  the  dark  shadow  of  the  cavern  among  the  rocks  : 
we  stand  now  upon  the  hills  that  guard  Jerusalem,  and 
watch  the  long  triumphal  procession,  as  it  conveys  the 
Ark  of  Jehovah,  the  Palladium  of  Israel,  to  its  vic- 
torious resting-place  in  the  city  of  King  David. 

As  for  King  Saul,  who  can  forbear  to  lament  the 
wreck  of  that  goodly  person,  that  heroic,  perverted, 
unhappy  soul  ?  For  he  has  perished  by  his  own  hand 
on  the  field  of  a  defeat  which  he  was  too  weak  to  avert, 
and  too  proud  to  endure.2 

Jonathan,  also,  the  heir  to  the  throne,  has  fallen  with 

1  Tennyson,  The  Dying  Swan.  2  1  Chron.  x.  1-7. 


56  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

his  father ;  and  David,  with  generous  love,  has  sung  the 
hymn  of  mourning  for  his  unkind  king  and  his  loyal 
friend.1  The  thin,  phantasmal  glimmer  of  royalty 
which  hovered  for  a  few  months  about  the  head  of 
Prince  Ishbosheth  on  the  other  side  of  Jordan  has  dis- 
appeared like  a  will-o'-the-wisp.  The  warriors  who  fol- 
lowed the  house  of  Saul  have  been  lost  in  the  gulf  of 
death,  like  the  brave  Abner,2  or  have  renounced  their 
allegiance,  like  the  treacherous  sons  of  Kimmon.3  The 
star  of  David,  shining  above  the  little  city  of  Hebron, 
has  waxed  larger  and  stronger  with  every  month.  One 
by  one  the  tribes  of  Israel  have  been  drawn  to  the 
brightness  of  its  rising,  and  have  come  to  pay  their 
fealty  and  offer  their  service  to  the  man  whom  God  had 
chosen.4  He  has  been  solemnly  anointed  king  by  the 
elders.  The  priests  of  the  house  of  Aaron  have  given 
in  their  adherence.  The  little  company  which  followed 
his  fortunes  in  exile  has  grown  into  "  a  great  host,  like 
the  host  of  God."  6  His  nephews,  Joab  and  Abishai, 
the  fierce  sons  of  Zeruiah,  have  proved  themselves 
mighty  men  of  war  and  skilful  leaders  of  his  armies. 
Step  by  step  the  Philistines  have  retreated  before 
them,  fighting  in  vain  against  the  weapons  of  destiny, 
until  at  length,  after  seven  years  of  warfare,  they  have 
been  driven  into  their  last  stronghold,  and  David  him- 
self has  come  with  his  men  to  besiege  the  proud  city 
of  Jebus  on  Mount  Zion.6  The  Jebusites  have  laughed 
at  him  from  their  lofty  walls,  boasting  that  they  could 
hold  this  fortress  with  a  garrison  of  the  blind  and  the 

l  2  Sam.  i.  17-27.          2  2  Sam.  iii.  17-30.          •  2  Sam.  iv.  6-12. 
«  2  Sam.  v.  1.  6  1  Chron.  xii.  22.  •  1  Sam.  v.  6. 


A   MARCHING   CHORUS  57 

lame.  But  Joab  has  scaled  the  frowning  cliff,1  even 
as  Wolfe  in  later  days  scaled  the  Heights  of  Abraham 
with  his  English  soldiers ;  the  defiant  garrison  has  fled 
in  dismay ;  Jerusalem  has  become  the  city  of  David ; 
God  has  set  his  king  upon  the  holy  hill  of  Zion. 

Vainly  have  his  enemies  gathered  their  forces  and 
dashed  themselves  against  his  dominion.  Twice  the 
great  flood  of  heathendom  has  lifted  itself,  like  a  wave 
crested  with  foam,  and  rolled  towards  his  throne ;  twice 
it  has  rolled  back  again,  broken  and  shattered,  as  an 
ocean-billow  is  shattered  by  the  rocks  and  withdraws 
itself  in  a  hundred  streaming  rivulets  of  defeat.2  The 
idols  have  been  overthrown  and  destroyed  even  to  the 
borders  of  the  land.  Hiram,  king  of  Tyre,  has  sent  his 
messengers  of  friendship  and  tribute  to  his  brother 
David.3  The  despised  outlaw  has  become  a  mighty 
monarch.  The  calamities  that  threatened  are  over- 
past. They  have  vanished  as  the  morning  clouds  are 
scoffed  away  by  the  mid-day  sun.  The  throne  of  David 
is  firmly  established  on  the  promise  of  God. 

And  now  what  is  the  first  thought  of  this  man  who 
has  advanced  so  steadily  and  bravely  to  the  pinnacle, 
not  of  his  own  ambition,  but  of  the  Divine  purpose 
towards  him  and  his  people  ?  It  is  the  memory  of  the 
Ark  of  the  Lord,  that  sacred  symbol  of  his  religion, 
which  his  own  eyes  had  never  seen,  but  which  his  fore- 
fathers had  followed  in  their  desert  wanderings,  and 
which  he  desired  at  once  to  restore  to  its  true  position 
as  the  central  point,  the  very  heart,  of  the  nation's  love 
and  loyalty. 
1  1  Chron.  xi.  6.  2  1  Chron.  xiv.  8-17.  8  1  Sain.  v.  11, 12, 


58       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

The  history  of  that  consecrated  chest  of  locust-wood, 
overlaid  with  gold,  and  crowned  with  the  mystic  figures 
of  the  cherubim,  bending  their  wings  above  the  mercy- 
seat,1 —  that  divinely-appointed  casket  for  the  stone 
tables  of  the  law  which  were  the  foundation-stones  of 
the  Jewish  faith,  —  had  been  full  of  strange  vicissi- 
tudes. It  had  been  carried  in  triumph  by  the  priests 
around  the  walls  of  Jericho  while  they  were  tottering 
to  their  downfall.2  It  had  dwelt  in  the  tents  of  the 
invading  Israelites  during  the  bloody  wars  of  Joshua 
and  the  Judges,  as  their  pledge  of  victory  and  their 
oracle  of  counsel.3  It  had  been  borne  out  to  battle 
by  the  degenerate  sons  of  Eli  on  the  fatal  field  of 
Ebenezer,  and  had  been  captured  by  the  Philistines. 
It  had  been  set  up  as  a  trophy  in  the  temple  of  Da- 
gon  at  Ashdod,  and  the  fish-god  had  tumbled  down 
before  it  in  ruinous  dismay.4  It  had  been  sent,  with 
marvellous  and  ludicrous  celerity,  from  place  to  place 
among  its  heathen  captors,  bringing  pestilence  and 
disaster  wherever  it  came,  so  that  at  last  the  people 
began  to  cry  out  in  terror,  "  Here  comes  that  dreadful 
Ark  of  Israel.  Who  shall  deliver  us  from  this  deadly 
trophy  ?  "  5  It  had  been  returned  with  costly  gifts  by 
the  five  Philistine  lords,  who  were  glad  to  get  rid  of  it 
at  any  price.6  It  had  been  welcomed  with  rejoicing  by 
the  men  of  Bethshemesh,  who  could  not  restrain  their 
pious  curiosity  from  peeping  into  it,  and  were  straight- 
way punished  with  death.  At  last  it  found  a  home  in 
the  house  of  Abinadab  at  the  little  village  of  Kirjath- 

1  Ex.  xmii.  1-0.  2  Josh.  vi.  6-11.  8  1  Sam.  iv.  4-11. 

*  1  Sam.  v.  1-6.  *  Ibid.  6-12.  «lSam.vi 


A  MARCHING  CHORUS  59 

Jearim,  on  the  borders  of  Israel.  There  it  remained 
for  nearly  seventy  years,  carried  out,  it  may  be,  occa- 
sionally among  the  people,  but  for  the  most  part  neg- 
lected and  forgotten,  for  the  people  "  sought  not  unto 
it  in  the  days  of  Saul."  l 

But  one  man  remembered  it,  and  the  glories  of  its 
history,  and  the  significance  of  its  symbolism.  One 
man  longed  to  see  it  brought  out  from  its  hiding-place 
and  enshrined  in  lofty  security  as  the  jewel  of  the  land. 
That  man  was  the  shepherd  whom  God  had  anointed 
and  crowned.  And  it  seems  to  me  that  this  fact  alone 
is  enough  to  prove  David's  fitness  for  the  high  position 
to  which  he  had  been  called. 

It  is  the  mark  of  true  greatness  to  reverence  the 
sacred  relics  of  the  past.  It  is  the  mark  of  sublime 
genius  to  seize  upon  a  great  religious  idea  and  hold  it 
up  before  the  people  so  that  all  the  scattered  forces  of 
national  love  and  pride  and  hope  may  centre  upon  it. 
This  is  what  David  did.  We  may  read  in  the  one 
hundred  and  thirty-second  Psalm  how  the  idea  came  to 
him  and  laid  hold  upon  him.  It  was  at  Ephratah,  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Bethlehem,  that  he  heard  of  it. 
Immediately  it  took  possession  of  his  mind,  robbing 
him  of  his  rest  in  the  night-watches.  "  And  he  sware 
unto  the  Lord,  Surely  I  will  not  come  into  the  taber- 
nacle of  my  house,  nor  go  up  into  my  bed  :  I  will  not 
give  sleep  to  mine  eyes,  or  slumber  to  mine  eyelids ; 
until  I  find  out  a  place  for  the  Lord,  a  Tabernacle  for 
the  mighty  one  of  Jacob." 

It  was  a  noble  resolve ;   and  now  at  last  it  had 

1  1  Chron.  xiii.  3. 


60       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

become  possible  to  put  it  in  execution.  The  kingdom 
was  consolidated.  The  stronghold  was  conquered. 
The  Lord's  place  was  found.  So  the  resolute  king, 
moving  like  a  star  towards  his  purpose,  calls  a  great 
assembly  of  the  people,  and  sets  out  at  the  head  of 
thirty  thousand  men  to  bring  the  Ark  to  its  home.1  They 
take  it  from  the  house  where  it  has  lain  so  long  in  ob- 
scurity among  the  border  forests,  and  put  it  upon  a 
new  cart,  drawn  by  oxen,  and  escort  it  with  music 
towards  Jerusalem.  But  before  they  arrive  at  their 
destination  an  accident  interrupts  the  procession.  The 
oxen  stumble  on  the  rocky  road,  the  Ark  seems  about 
to  fall.  Uzzah,  one  of  the  drivers,  puts  forth  his  hand 
rashly  to  steady  it.  But  his  temerity  is  punished  by 
instant  death,  and  the  scene  of  joy  is  changed  to  one 
of  mourning  and  terror.  Even  David  is  afraid  when 
he  sees  how  awful  is  the  sacredness  of  this  shrine,  and 
he  cries,  "  How  shall  the  Ark  of  the  Lord  come  unto 
me  ?  "  So  the  inauguration  is  postponed,  and  the  Ark 
is  hastily  deposited  in  the  house  of  Obed-edom,  until 
God  shall  manifest  His  pleasure  in  regard  to  it. 

It  may  have  been  that  this  check,  this  rebuke,  was 
needed.  It  may  have  been  that  even  David  had  come 
to  think  more  of  the  successful  accomplishment  of  his 
design  than  of  the  sanctity  of  this  great  religious  relic, 
and  to  exalt  the  triumph  of  his  own  strong  will  above 
the  fulfilment  of  the  Divine  purpose.  Often  does  it 
happen  that  a  man  who  is  engaged  in  the  noblest  work 
needs  to  be  reminded  that  the  cause  for  which  he  is 
labouring  is  holier  than  himself. 

1  2Sam.vi 


A  MARCHING  CHORUS  61 

But  the  delay  was  not  for  long.  When  three 
months  had  passed,  David  was  told  that  a  great  bless- 
ing had  come  upon  the  house  of  Obed-edom.  This  he 
rightly  interpreted  as  an  omen  of  favour ;  and  once 
more  he  comes  forth  to  complete  his  design.  And  we 
cannot  help  observing  how  much  more  orderly  and  rev- 
erent the  second  procession  is  than  the  one  which  had 
been  interrupted.  This  time  there  is  no  cart  and  no 
stumbling  oxen,  but  the  Ark  is  lifted  high  upon  the 
shoulders  of  the  Levites  as  Moses  had  commanded.1 
Well-ordered  choirs  of  tuneful  men  surround  it  with 
their  songs.  The  trumpets  blow,  the  cymbals  clash, 
the  people  shout,  the  long  train  winds  up  the  mountain 
road,  "  sounding  aloud  with  psalteries  and  harps."  In 
front  marches  the  king  himself,  clad  in  a  short  gar- 
ment of  white  linen,  more  simply  than  the  simplest  of 
the  people.2  And  as  he  goes  he  plays  upon  his  harp 
and  dances  with  all  his  might  before  the  Lord. 

Michal  looks  out  from  her  window,  —  proud,  foolish 
Princess  Michal,  —  and  her  lip  curls  with  scorn  as  she 
sees  her  husband  so  carried  away  with  gladness.  She 
is  too  conservative,  too  eminently  respectable,  to  counte- 
nance enthusiasm  even  in  the  service  of  religion.  But 
a  great  joy  despises  a  petty  criticism.  Michal,  like  so 
many  faultfinders,  condemns  only  herself.  She  be- 
longs to  the  jealous  past :  she  is  obsolete,  deserted,  left 
behind ; 3  and  the  great  procession  of  the  new  era 
sweeps  triumphantly  onward,  with  David  at  its  head, 
forgetful  of  himself,  of  his  many  victories,  of  his  royal 
state,  singing  only  of  the  royalty  and  the  victory  of  his 
Almighty  Lord. 

1  1  Chron.  xv.  15.  2  Ibid.  v.  28.  8  2  Sam.  vi.  23. 


62       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Thus  the  church  marches  onward  through  the  ages, 
in  despite  of  sour  critics,  oblivious  of  worldly  contempt, 
fulfilling  her  destiny,  and  celebrating  the  triumphs  of 
her  King  with  holy  exultation. 

Let  us  listen,  now,  to  the  song  which  David  composed 
for  this  occasion,  which  has  well  been  called  "the 
greatest  day  of  his  life."  1 

It  was  evidently  intended  to  be  sung  chorally  and 
antiphonally,2  —  voices  questioning  and  replying,  the 
strophe  followed  by  the  antistrophe,  the  instruments 
filling  up  the  solemn  intervals ;  and  the  simple,  yet 
perfect,  art  of  its  construction  serves  to  remind  us 
that  no  music  is  too  good  for  the  worship  of  God,  and 
no  reverent  care  is  to  be  neglected  in  ordering  and 
beautifying  the  services  of  religion. 

The  psalm  divides  itself  into  three  parts. 

1.  The  first  two  verses  are  the  introduction,  and 
they  were  probably  chanted  by  the  whole  company  in 
a  grand,  solemn  chorus.  It  would  require  rich  and 
noble  chords  to  carry  the  full  meaning  of  these  words  : 

"  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof : 
"  The  world  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 

How  generously  this  opening  phrase  sweeps  out  beyond 
the  narrow  limits  of  race  and  nationality  to  include 
every  living  creature  in  the  jubilation  of  that  day ! 
The  false  conception  of  the  Hebrew  religion  was  al- 
ways trying  to  confine  its  joys  and  blessings  to  a  strict 
line  of  natural  descent ;  as  if  the  favour  of  God  were 
entailed,  and  none  could  boast  of  it  save  those  who  had 

1  Stanley,  History  of  the  Jewish  Church,  vol.  ii.  p.  94. 

8  Joaephus  says  that  seven  choirs  preceded  the  Ark  on  this  occasion. 


A   MARCHING  CHORUS  63 

Abraham  to  their  father.  This  was  the  keynote  of 
that  bigoted  Pharisaic  theology  against  which  Jesus 
Christ  clashed  when  He  came  to  proclaim  the  broader 
Fatherhood  of  God.  It  was  this  perverted  idea  which 
made  the  scribes  and  lawyers  rave,  when  He  said  that 
there  were  many  widows  in  Israel  in  the  days  of  Elisha, 
but  unto  none  of  them  was  he  sent,  but  only  to  the 
widow  of  pagan  Sarepta  ;  and  there  were  many  lepers 
in  Israel,  but  none  of  them  was  healed  save  Naaman 
the  Syrian.1  This  seemed  to  them  the  rankest  heresy. 
But  indeed  it  was  the  same  truth  which  had  been  de- 
clared to  Adam,  and  again  to  Abraham  in  whose  seed 
all  nations  should  be  blessed,  and  again  to  Moses  when 
God  said,  "  All  the  earth  is  mine,"  and  again  by  David 
and  his  people  when  they  sung  of  the  world-wide  do- 
minion of  Jehovah,  —  the  same  truth  which  was  stated 
by  Peter  when  he  declared,  "  In  every  nation  he  that 
feareth  God  and  worketh  righteousness  is  accepted  with 
Him."  2 

The  thin  lines  that  divide  men  into  classes  and 
tribes  and  churches  vanish  in  the  light  of  this  truth. 
Jerusalem  is  the  chosen  city  of  God,  but  it  is  chosen  to 
be  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.3  The  holy  streams  that 
rise  on  Zion  are  to  flow  into  every  valley  and  water 
every  plain.  The  Messiah  is  the  glory  of  His  people 
Israel,  but  He  is  also  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles.4 
Religion  is  for  humanity.  The  church  is  for  the  world. 
Her  mission  will  be  fulfilled,  not  when  she  separates 
herself  in  lonely  rapture  from  the  doom  of  the  race, 

1  St.  Luke  iv.  25,  27.  2  Acts  x.  35. 

8  Ps.  xlviii.  2.  *  St.  Luke  ii  32. 


64       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  rises  into  a  remote  and  selfish  heaven,  but  when 
she  draws  the  whole  world  with  her  into  the  light  of 
God,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  covers  the  earth 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.1 

Even  the  lower  creation  of  things  inanimate  and  ir- 
rational shall  have  a  share  in  this  redemption.  There 
is  no  mountain  that  shall  not  rejoice  in  the  inaugura- 
tion of  that  kingdom,  no  forest  that  shall  not  clap  its 
hands,  no  flower  that  shall  not  bloom  more  brightly,  no 
bird  that  shall  not  sing  more  sweetly  when  the  round 
globe  confesses  that 

"Jehovah  is  the  sovereign  Lord,  the  universal  king." 

This  is  what  David  meant  by  the  broad  chords  of  his 
prelude.  There  was  no  selfish  and  exclusive  joy  in 
that  day  of  triumph  when  the  Mercy-Seat  came  home 
to  Zion.  It  was  a  fountain  of  gladness  to  the  whole 
creation. 

2.  The  second  part  of  the  psalm  includes  from  the 
third  to  the  sixth  verse.  The  procession  has  now  come, 
we  may  suppose,  to  the  beginning  of  the  actual  ascent 
to  the  city.  The  people  halt,  and  a  single  voice  rings 
out  in  clear  tones  the  searching  question :  — 

"  Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord  ? 
"  And  who  shall  stand  in  his  holy  place  ?  " 

A  moment's  pause,  —  and  then  the  choir  of  singers  re- 
sponds with  that  lofty  definition  of  the  man  of  God 
which  is  worthy  to  be  written  in  letters  of  gold,  not 
only  above  the  door  of  every  church,  but  also  on  the 
walls  of  every  capitol,  and  over  the  seat  of  every  ruler, 
and  upon  the  threshold  of  every  mart  of  commerce,  and 
1  Is.  xi.  9  ;  Hab.  ii.  14. 


A   MARCHING  CHORUS  65 

within  the  home  of  every  citizen.  Clean  hands  and  a 
pure  heart,  a  soul  that  is  turned  away  from  vanity  and 
a  tongue  that  abhors  deceit,  —  what  words  could  de- 
scribe more  tersely  and  luminously  the  character  after 
which  every  true  man  and  woman  ought  to  strive,  the 
character  without  which  we  can  never  hope  to  become 
acceptable  to  God  ? 

There  are  some  commentators  who  read  these  words 
as  a  prophetic  description  of  the  holiness  of  Christ.1 
But  it  seems  to  me  that  this  robs  them  of  all  their 
point  and  meaning.  For  David  is  now  declaring  the 
principles  on  which  he  means  to  found  his  kingdom,  the 
virtues  which  he  intends  to  hold  up  continually  before 
himself  and  before  his  people,  and  which  are  to  be 
maintained  by  punishing  and  casting  out  the  wicked, 
by  rewarding  and  exalting  the  righteous.2  No  true 
kingdom  can  be  established  on  any  other  foundations. 
No  true  religion  can  exist  without  personal  holiness. 
It  is  not  enough  to  trust  in  the  perfect  righteousness  of 
Christ.  Faith  without  works  is  a  corpse.  The  world 
will  bury  or  burn  it.  God  will  never  inquire  what  has 
become  of  it  in  the  day  of  judgment,  but  He  will 
"  render  unto  every  man  according  to  his  deeds.'' 3  The 
world  could  not  stand  for  a  day  if  this  were  not  true, 
and  if  men  did  not  in  their  secret  hearts  believe  it.  It 
is  this  conviction  that  gives  to  the  state  the  power  of 
the  sword  as  a  terror  to  evil-doers,  and  to  the  church 
the  power  of  the  keys  to  admit  and  to  exclude  men  ac- 
cording to  the  testimony  of  their  lives. 

1  So  Bellannine  and  others.  2  Compare  Ps.  ci. 

8  St.  Matt.  xvi.  27. 


66  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

An  honest,  earnest,  true  heart ;  a  hand  that  will  not 
stain  itself  with  unjust  gain,  or  hold  an  unequal  bal- 
ance, or  sign  a  deceitful  letter,  or  draw  an  unfair  con- 
tract ;  a  tongue  that  will  not  twist  itself  to  a  falsehood 
or  take  up  an  evil  report ;  a  soul  that  points  as  true  as 
a  compass  to  the  highest  ideal  of  manhood  or  woman- 
hood,—  these  are  the  marks  and  qualities  of  God's 
people  everywhere.  And  when  these  qualities  are  ex- 
alted and  manifested,  when  a  Christian  means  one 
whose  word  is  his  bond,  who  can  be  trusted  with  untold 
treasure  without  fear  of  his  stealing,  whose  praise  is  an 
honour  and  whose  friendship  is  a  jewel  of  priceless 
value ;  one  who  does  his  duty  towards  his  fellow-men 
as  a  service  to  his  God ;  one  whom  you  can  more  cer- 
tainly trust  to  paint  your  house,  or  make  your  clothes, 
or  draw  your  will,  or  take  care  of  the  health  of  your 
family,  because  he  is  a  Christian ;  one  whose  outward 
integrity  is  the  proof  of  inward  purity,  —  then  the 
church  will  have  great  praise  and  large  triumph. 

This  is  the  character,  our  psalm  declares,  that  "  shall 
receive  the  blessing  from  Jehovah,  and  righteousness 
from  the  God  of  his  salvation."  For  after  all  it  is  the 
heart  in  which  this  high  ideal  has  formed  itself,  it  is 
the  life  which  is  most  earnestly  striving  to  realize  it, 
that  feels  most  deeply  its  own  imperfection  and  the 
need  of  a  Divine  salvation.1  The  effort  after  holiness 
always  intensifies  the  consciousness  of  sin.  The  purest 

1  "  It  is  the  righteousness  of  God  after  which  the  righteous,  but  not 
the  self-righteous,  man  hungers  and  thirsts;  that  moral  perfection 
which  is  the  likeness  of  God,  restored  to  him,  and  at  the  same  time 
brought  about  by  his  own  endeavor."  Delitzsch,  in  loc. 


A  MARCHING  CHORUS  67 

souls  are  those  who  cling  most  closely  to  God  as  their 
Redeemer  and  Helper.  The  doctrine  of  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  and  good  hope  through  grace  is  most  pre- 
cious to  those  who  are  climbing  upward,  with  painful 
steps,  to  seek  the  face  of  God. 

3.  The  third  part  of  the  psalm  includes  the  last  four 
verses,  and  describes  the  actual  entrance  of  the  Ark 
into  the  city,  and  its  installation  in  the  tabernacle 
which  had  been  prepared  for  it. 

At  the  ancient  gateway  of  the  fortress-city  the  pro- 
cession halts,  and  the  chorus  summons  the  everlasting 
doors  to  open  and  admit  the  King  of  glory.  A  voice 
from  within,  ringing  forth  like  the  cry  of  a  faithful 
sentinel,  asks,  "  Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ?  "  Like 
the  rush  of  a  mighty  river  comes  the  answer,  "  The 
Lord  of  Hosts,  he  is  the  King  of  glory."  And  as  if 
the  music  were  a  veritable  flood  sweeping  all  things 
before  it,  the  Ark  is  lifted  upward  and  onward,  until  it 
rests  at  last  in  its  appointed  place. 

The  new  era  is  inaugurated.  The  wandering  faith 
has  found  its  home.  The  Mercy-Seat  is  established  in 
the  midst  of  the  people.  Jehovah  Sabaoth,  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  has  fixed  His  dwelling-place  in  Zion.  He  is 
not  merely  the  God  of  the  pilgrim  and  the  stranger, 
the  object  of  personal  faith  and  devotion.  He  is  the 
centre  of  a  great  organization,  an  embattled  army. 
The  nation  and  the  church,  loyalty  and  religion,  com- 
munal obligation  and  orderly  worship,  freedom  and 
empire,  were  proclaimed  on  the  authority  of  God,  when 
David  stood  before  the  doors  of  the  new  Tabernacle 


68  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  blessed  the  people  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of 
Hosts.1 

Homeward  they  turned  from  their  great  festivity. 
The  splendid  music  died  away.  The  throngs  dispersed. 
But  every  soul  of  Israel  was  bound  by  a  new  allegiance 
to  God  and  to  the  nation ;  even  as  we  are  bound  by 
our  allegiance  to  Him  who  has  gone  up  on  high  lead- 
ing captivity  captive,  before  whom  the  everlasting 
gates  of  heaven  have  opened,  and  who  is  now  enthroned 
as  King  of  glory  and  Lord  of  the  great  host  of  be- 
lieving souls. 

1  "The  Greek  rendering  of  this  word  by  the  magnificent  Panto- 
crator,  'all-conqueror,'  passed  through  the  Apocalypse  into  Eastern 
Christendom,  and  is  still  the  fixed  designation  by  which  in  Byzantine 
churches  the  Redeemer  is  represented  in  His  aspect  of  the  Mighty 
Ruler  of  Mankind."  Stanley,  History  of  the  Jewish  Church,  vol.  ii. 
p- 06. 


VI 

THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN 

PSALM  LI 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN 


THE  story  of  this  psalm  is  more  strange  and  shame- 
ful than  any  other  narrative  on  the  page  of  history. 
Not  because  the  crime  which  it  records  is  one  without 
a  parallel ;  for  many  an  Eastern  monarch  has  been 
guilty  of  transgressions  no  less  flagrant  against  the  laws 
of  purity  and  honour.  Lust  and  treachery  and  murder 
have  joined  hands  in  a  royal  sin  many  a  time  before 
the  days  of  David,  —  and  since.  But  the  peculiar 
shame  and  surprise  of  this  story  lie  in  the  black  con- 
trast between  the  previous  life  and  character  of  David 
and  his  action  on  this  particular  occasion.  It  is  like 
the  sudden  opening  of  a  dark  and  filthy  chasm  in  the 
midst  of  a  fair  landscape.  It  is  the  story  of  a  fall, 
swift  and  horrible,  from  the  heights  to  the  depths, 
from  the  holy  hill  of  God  into  the  very  abyss  of 
Satan.1 

1  In  favour  of  the  Davidic  authorship  of  the  psalm  we  find  (1)  the 
ancient  tradition ;  (2)  the  close  resemblance  of  the  style  to  that  of  the 
psalms  which  are  universally  acknowledged  to  he  his ;  (3)  the  fervour  of 
spirit  and  the  unity  of  thought ;  (4)  the  fact  that  there  is  no  other  per- 
son described  in  the  Old  Testament  to  whose  known  history  it  can  be 
applied,  no  one  else  of  whom  it  can  be  said  "that  he  was  a  devout 
man  before  and  after  his  fall,  that  his  sin  involved  the  guilt  of  blood, 
that  it  was  unpunished  by  the  law,  and  that  he  was  restored  to  Divine 
favor." 


72  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

For  surely,  as  we  trace  the  career  of  David  from  the 
time  when  he  kept  the  sheep  among  the  lonely  hills 
down  to  that  afternoon  when  he  went  up  to  take  his 
siesta  upon  the  roof  of  his  splendid  palace,  we  must 
feel  that  he  had  been,  in  the  main,  a  strong  and  gener- 
ous and  noble  man.  He  had  his  faults,  undoubtedly, 
like  all  who  are  mortal ;  but  they  were  not  the  faults 
of  meanness,  of  treachery,  of  cunning  selfishness,  of 
unbridled  appetite.  He  had  been  well  trained  in  the 
school  of  hardship  and  self-restraint.  He  had  main- 
tained the  integrity  of  his  character  through  many 
temptations,  so  that  he  was  entitled  to  say  in  his 
psalms  that  he  had  walked  in  innocence  and  upright- 
ness before  the  Lord.1  God  had  confirmed  him  in  a 
righteous  life  by  prosperity  as  well  as  by  adversity. 
He  had  bestowed  the  largest  rewards  of  fidelity  upon 
the  man  whom  He  had  chosen,  raising  him  to  the  sum- 
mit of  power  and  wealth  and  fame,  crowning  his  arms 
with  victory  and  his  kingdom  with  success,  giving  him 
a  thousand  blessings  as  arguments  and  safeguards  to 
keep  him  in  the  right  way.  If  any  man  ever  occupied 
a  position  of  moral  security,  if  any  man  ever  had 
strong  reasons  for  being  good,  it  was  David  when  he 
slept  on  that  bright  day  of  early  summer,  upon  the 
terrace  of  his  happy  house.  And  yet,  —  he  awakes  ; 
he  sees  a  beautiful  woman ;  he  plunges  suddenly  into 
darkness  and  disgrace. 

What  does  it  mean  ?  Just  this  :  that  our  human 
nature  is  unutterably  wayward  and  perverse ;  that  there 
is  a  traitor  within  the  citadel  of  the  soul ;  that  gravity 

l  PB.  xxvi  1,  ft. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  73 

and  depravity  are  forever  pulling  all  things  downward, 
so  that  everything  which  God  does  not  uphold  must 
fall ;  that  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things  and 
desperately  wicked. 

"  Lord,  with  what  care  hast  thou  begirt  us  round. 


Blessings  beforehand,  ties  of  gratefulness, 

The  sound  of  glory  ringing  in  our  ears ; 
Without,  our  shame  ;  within,  our  consciences ; 

Angels  and  grace,  eternal  hopes  and  fears. 
Yet  all  these  fences  and  their  whole  array 
One  cunning  bosom  sin  blows  clean  away."  l 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  us  to  rehearse  the  wretched 
tale  of  David's  moral  downfall.  The  Bible  tells  it,  not 
like  our  modern  chroniclers  of  crime  who  seem  to  gloat 
over  the  most  repulsive  details,  but  with  swift,  stern 
simplicity  of  speech,  leaving  the  figures  of  the  unsus- 
pecting, loyal-hearted  soldier,  and  his  ambitious,  cold- 
hearted,  compliant  hypocrite  of  a  wife,  and  his  perfid- 
ious self-dishonored  king,  to  make  their  own  impres- 
sion and  teach  their  own  lesson.2 

But  there  are  two  things  which  may  have  escaped  our 
notice  because  they  do  not  lie  on  the  surface  of  the 
narrative,  and  to  which  our  attention  may  be  called 
with  profit.  First :  the  fact  that  David's  sin  did  not 
at  once  bring  any  outward  punishment  or  disgrace.  It 
was  apparently  unnoticed  by  the  world.  The  Book  of 
Chronicles  does  not  even  mention  it.  The  people  knew 
nothing  of  any  shadow  that  had  fallen  upon  their  king. 
His  dominion  was  still  prosperous,  his  arms  victorious. 
The  siege  of  Rabbah  was  successful,3  and  no  one  but  the 

1  George  Herbert's  Poems,  "  Sin."  2  2  Sam.  xi. 

8  2  Sam.  xii.  26,  29. 


T4  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

cruel  and  silent  Joab  knew  the  king's  guilty  secret 
and  the  real  history  of  Uriah's  death  under  the  walls 
of  that  foreign  city  which  David  went  forth  to  occupy 
in  royal  triumph.  Second:  the  fact  that  the  king 
gave  no  sign  that  he  was  conscious  of  his  own  fall. 
Sin  blinded  his  eyes  and  hardened  his  heart.  He 
brought  the  beautiful,  conscienceless  Bathsheba  home 
to  his  palace  with  every  appearance  of  propriety  and 
satisfaction.  He  enjoyed  the  fruits  of  his  evil  deed 
with  none  to  molest  or  make  him  afraid.  To  all 
appearances  he  had  no  sense  of  his  sin  or  of  his  dis- 
honour. For  observe  how  he  receives  the  prophet 
Nathan,  a  year  after  the  offence  has  been  committed ; 1 
how  he  listens  without  compunction  to  the  story  of  the 
ewe  lamb  which  the  rich  man  stole  from  his  poor 
neighbour ;  how  he  breaks  out  with  his  old  fine  spirit 
against  the  man  who  has  been  guilty  of  so  great  a 
baseness  and  swears  that  such  a  fellow  is  unworthy  to 
live.  He  does  not  recognize  his  own  sin  when  it  looks 
him  in  the  face.  He  does  not  even  dream  that  this 
pitiful  story  of  the  prophet  is  just  a  picture  of  his  own 
cruel  and  mean  conduct. 

Then,  like  a  flash  of  lightning,  comes  that  daring 
word  of  Nathan  :  "  Thou  art  the  man."  Then  David's 
eyes  are  opened  and  he  knows  what  he  has  done.  In 
the  clear,  cold  light  of  conscience  he  stands  self-con- 
victed and  self-condemned.  His  sin  has  found  him  out 
and  he  must  bear  its  punishment ;  though  all  the  world 
should  acquit  and  justify  him,  he  cannot  escape  the  con- 
sequences of  his  evil  deed,  the  stain  upon  his  honour, 
1  2  Sam.  xii.  1-6. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  75 

the  sickness  and  shame  and  disaster  which  must  fall 
upon  his  house ;  worst  of  all,  he  cannot  escape  the 
evil  deed  itself,  which  stands  within  his  soul  like  a 
loathsome  fiend,  now  unmasked,  and  visible  in  all  its 
deformity. 

"  I  have  sinned ;  that  is  the  bitterness  of  it  all. 
What  does  it  matter  what  happens  to  me,  good  or 
evil  ?  Nothing  can  change  the  fact  that  I  have  sinned 
against  light  and  privilege ;  sinned  against  the  man 
who  trusted  me  and  died  for  me ;  sinned  against  the 
creature  whom  I  loved  and  degraded ;  sinned  against 
my  own  household  and  the  helpless  babe ;  sinned 
against  my  throne  and  my  people  ;  —  nay,  what  are  all 
these  things?  They  seem  like  nothing  when  I  re- 
member that  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  who  loved 
me,  and  blessed  me  above  measure,  and  gave  me  every- 
thing. Am  I  separated  from  Him  forever?  Does  He 
hate  and  despise  me  ?  Is  there  no  way  to  win  back  His 
favour  and  forgiveness  ?  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my 
Father,  and  I  will  say  to  Him,  '  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight.' ' 

Thus  the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son  is  enacted  in 
real  life  a  thousand  years  before  Christ  put  it  into 
words  of  imperishable  beauty  and  power.  Thus  we 
hear  the  prayer  of  penitence  rising  from  the  lips  of  the 
ancient  Hebrew  king,  and  our  hearts  tell  us  that  it  is 
our  prayer  as  well  as  his ;  that  it  is  just  as  true  and 
fitting  for  us  as  if  it  had  been  written  yesterday.  Our 
actual  transgressions,  our  particular  offences  against 
God  and  man,  may  be  most  unlike  those  of  David,  but 
our  sin,  our  separation  from  the  Divine  will,  our  selfish- 


76  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

ness,  our  uncleanness,  are  the  same,  and  so  our  sorrow 
and  our  supplication  must  take  the  same  form  and  flow 
in  the  same  channel.  "  I  am  sure,"  said  Dr.  Thomas 
Chalmers,  "  that  of  all  the  psalms  this  one  is  the  most 
applicable  to  me."  The  man  who  has  never  felt  this, 
never  made  this  psalm  truly  his  own,  has  never  known 
true  repentance.  Let  us  not  study  it  in  the  spirit  of 
cold,  contemptuous  criticism,  looking  down  upon  poor 
David  from  the  pinnacle  of  our  self-righteousness,  and 
thanking  God  that  we  are  not  as  he  was ;  but  let  us 
kneel  beside  him,  and  thank  God  that  since  we  are  like 
him  in  our  sinf  ulness,  we  can  be  like  him  also  in  his 
penitence,  in  his  prayer,  in  his  hope  of  pardon.1 

There  are  several  things  in  this  psalm  which  we  shall 
do  well  to  notice  and  remember. 

1.  It  begins  with  the  mercy  of  God. 

"  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God, 

"  According  to  thy  loving-kindness  ; 

"According  to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies." 

Faith  precedes  repentance.  Hope,  not  despair,  is  the 
mother  of  godly  sorrow.  The  goodness  of  God  is  be- 
fore the  badness  of  man.  The  Divine  forgiveness  ante- 

1  "  David,  the  Hebrew  king,  had  fallen  into  sins  enough ;  blackest 
crimes ;  there  was  no  want  of  sins.  And  thereupon  the  unbelievers 
sneer  and  ask,  Is  this  your  man  according  to  God's  heart  ?  The  sneer, 
I  must  say,  seems  to  me  but  a  shallow  one.  What  are  faults,  what  are 
the  outward  details  of  a  life,  if  the  inner  secret  of  it,  remorse,  tempta* 
tions,  true,  often-baffled,  never-ended  struggle  of  it,  be  forgotten  ? 
'  It  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his  steps/  Of  all  acts,  is  not, 
for  a  man,  repentance  the  most  divine  ?  David's  life  and  history,  as 
written  for  us  in  these  psalms  of  his,  I  consider  to  be  the  truest  emblem 
ever  given  of  a  man's  moral  progress  and  warfare  here  below."  —  Car- 
lyle,  fierce*  and  Uero-Worship,  Lect.  IL  p.  39. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  11 

dates  the  human  sin.  It  is  not  until  we  see  the  light 
shining  above  us  that  we  begin  to  loathe  our  dark  es- 
tate and  receive  strength  to  rise  out  of  the  gloom  and 
climb  upwards.  Tell  men  that  God  is  inexorably  just 
and  they  will  tremble,  and  abhor  themselves  in  dust 
and  ashes,  and  lie  still  in  sullen  desperation  or  seek 
forgetfulness  in  the  delirium  of  worse  excess.  But  tell 
them  that  He  is  kind  and  gracious,  waiting  to  forgive 
them  ;  and  then,  if  there  is  anything  in  them  that  can 
be  saved,  if  there  is  a  spark  of  true  life  not  yet  extin- 
guished in  the  deadly  atmosphere  of  sin,  they  will 
turn  to  their  only  hope  and  lay  hold  of  the  great  mercy 
of  God.  It  was  the  tender,  compassionate  look  of 
Jesus  that  drew  back  the  wandering  disciple  from  his 
apostasy.1  It  is  the  sight  of  Calvary  that  melts  the 
hardened  heart.  It  is  the  love  of  God  that  saves  sin- 
ners :  not  His  righteousness,  not  His  wrath,  not  His 
dreadful  power,  —  but  His  long-suffering  and  bound- 
less love.  It  was  of  this  that  David  thought  first  when 
he  repented ;  and  thought  of  it  now  as  he  had  never 
thought  before.  For  now  it  was  something  more  than 
the  generous  source  of  all  his  comforts  and  blessings, 
something  more  than  the  sun  which  had  shone  upon 
his  prosperous  career.  It  was  the  one  star  gleaming 
through  the  stormy  night ;  it  was  the  one  refuge  from 
endless  shame  and  sorrow  and  death.  Hitherto  David 
had  received  all  good  things  from  that  great  love ;  but 
now  he  was  driven  to  cast  himself  upon  it,  with  the 
cry,  "Lord  save  me,  I  perish."  And  surely,  if  the 
mystery  of  sin  has  any  explanation,  it  is  to  be  found 

1  St.  Luke  xxii.  61. 


T8       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

here,  in  the  new  meaning  and  value  which  it  gives  to 
the  love  of  God.  It  transforms  our  treasure-house 
into  our  hiding-place. 

"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 
"  Let  me  hide  myself  in  Thee !  " 

2.  This  psalm  does  not  confine  its  confession  to  one 
particular  offence.  It  speaks  not  of  one  sin,  but  of 
many.  It  seems  to  gather  up  all  the  tangled  masses 
of  evil  (like  some  great  knot  of  floating  weeds  and 
stagnant  scum  which  you  may  draw  to  shore  by  any 
one  of  its  interwoven  fibres),1  and  cast  it  all  down  be- 
fore God,  praying, 

"  Blot  out  my  transgressions." 

It  is  true  that  there  is  almost  always  some  one  sin 
which  presses  itself  with  peculiar  force  upon  our  con- 
science, and  seems  more  evil  than  the  rest.  But  it  does 
not  grow  alone,  nor  can  it  be  uprooted  without  dragging 
with  it  a  multitude  of  shoots  and  branches.  It  has 
sent  its  roots  down  into  every  part  of  our  being,  and 
bound  itself  with  clinging  tendrils  to  a  thousand 
thoughts  and  feelings,  and  permeated  our  very  nature 
with  a  network  of  poisonous  life.  There  is  no  such 
thing  as  a  single  sin;  nor  can  there  be  any  such  thing 
as  a  limited  repentance.  When  we  come  to  God  with 
our  confession,  we  must  make  it  broader  than  the  one 
offence  which  lies  nearest  to  us,  broader  even  than  our 
knowledge  of  its  secret  connections.2  It  must  cover 
the  whole  multitude  of  our  transgressions.  We  must 

1  Alexander  Maclaren,  The  Life  of  David  as  reflected  in  hit  Psalmg, 
p.  218. 

2  Ps.  xix.  12. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  79 

pray,  "  All  that  is  wrong  in  me  forgive  ;  all  that  is  evil, 
remove ;  all  that  is  base,  destroy." 

3.  The  psalm  makes  every  sin  an  offence  against  the 
personal  God. 

"  Against  thee,  thee  only  have  I  sinned, 
"  And  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight." 

David  does  not  mean  that  he  is  free  from  all  guilt 
towards  men,  that  he  has  done  no  injury  to  the  mur- 
dered Uriah,  to  his  disgraced  family,  to  the  dishonoured 
and  weakened  kingdom.  He  means  only  that  his  guilt 
towards  God  is  deeper  and  greater  than  all  this.  The 
black  heart  of  his  transgression  is  a  sin  against  the 
purity,  the  justice,  the  love  of  God.1  And  this  is  the 
essence  of  all  things  evil,  that  they  offend  and  wound 
the  living,  personal  Spirit  of  Good.  When  we  injure 
our  neighbour  we  are  harming  a  soul  made  in  the  Divine 
likeness ;  when  we  give  way  to  our  unholy  passions  we 
are  taking  part  in  the  revolt  of  Satan  against  God; 
when  we  transgress  one  of  the  Divine  commandments 
we  are  doing  what  we  can  to  spoil  the  world  which 
God  made  and  loves,  we  are  striking  a  blow  at  the  very 
heart  of  our  Father  in  heaven.  Remember  that  His 
one  great  desire  is  to  have  all  men  and  all  things  pure 
and  good,  reflecting  His  own  holiness  and  happiness, 
and  then  you  will  understand  the  meaning  of  that 
strange  saying  of  Christ,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done 
it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  ye  have  done  it  unto 
Me." 

4.  Observe  also  that  David  confesses  that  his  sins 
are  rooted  in  the  very  constitution  of  his  nature. 

1  "Human  judges  can  only  regard  wrong  actions  as  crimes',  God 
alone  takes  cognizance  of  them  as  sms.' '  —  Perowne. 


80  THE  STORY   OF  THE  PSALMS 

"  Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity ; 

"And  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me."  1 

This  is  no  mean  evasion  of  his  own  responsibility,  as 
if  he  would  take  refuge  in  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity 
and  throw  the  blame  of  his  evil  doing  upon  his  parents. 
He  does  not  offer  this  as  an  excuse,  but  as  a  fuller  ac- 
knowledgment of  his  guilt.  It  is  as  if  he  would  say, 
"  This  unholy  thing  has  been  hiding  in  my  heart  from 
the  beginning.  My  character,  my  disposition,  my  very 
manhood,  is  corrupt  and  full  of  sin."  And  truly,  if  any- 
thing could  increase  our  unworthiness  in  God's  sight, 
it  would  be  just  this  fact  that  our  worst  temptations 
come  from  within  ourselves,  and  we  are  driven  into 
wrong  not  by  any  outward  tempest  so  much  as  by  the 
force  of  our  own  impure  and  selfish  passions.2  Never 
plead  thine  inherited  nature  as  an  extenuation  of  thine 
evil  deeds.  It  is  as  base  to  love  lying  as  it  is  to  lie.  It 
is  as  bad  to  have  a  murderous  temper  as  it  is  to  kill. 
It  is  the  evil  nature  which  God  condemns.  Make  it 
not  thy  cloak  for  sin,  but  thy  reason  for  penitence  and 
thy  strong  plea  for  help. 

5.  The  great  desire  of  David's  soul  is  not  to  be 
delivered  from  outward  punishment,  but  to  be  puri- 
fied from  inward  defilement.  He  can  bear  the  conse- 
quences of  sin,  if  he  can  only  be  saved  from  sin  itself. 

'*  Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean ; 
"  Wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow." 

This  is  the  true  prayer  of  every  soul  that  knows 
what  sin  is,  —  to  be  healed  of  its  own  hidden  disease, 
to  escape  from  its  secret  conflict  and  misery,  to  have 

1  Compare  Job  xiv.  4 ;  Gen.  v i i i.  21.  -  St.  Mark  vii.  21. 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  81 

truth  and  peace  in  the  inward  parts.  If  we  can  only 
obtain  this  spiritual  healing  and  cleansing,  it  seems  as 
if  we  should  be  able  to  bear  anything  that  might  come 
to  us  as  the  necessary  result  of  our  evil  deeds.  Pain, 
disgrace,  disaster,  even  the  literal  pangs  of  fire,  if 
there  were  such  a  thing  in  another  world,  we  might  en- 
dure. For  an  outward  hell  could  not  burn  one  whose 
heart  had  been  cleansed,  whose  spirit  had  been  re- 
newed. Such  a  spirit  would  carry  the  water  of  life  and 
the  singing  angels  and  the  golden  city  and  the  eternal 
blessedness  within  itself,  and  there  is  not  a  corner  of 
this  wide  universe  where  it  could  be  really  cast  away 
from  the  presence  of  God.  Let  us  not  pray  chiefly 
that  God  would  let  us  into  Heaven,  but  first  that  He 
would  send  Heaven  into  us. 

"  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation, 
"  And  uphold  me  with  a  free  spirit." 

6.  And  now,  from  this  highest  and  noblest  prayer, 
David's  song  springs  up  with  a  joyous  and  triumphant 
flight,  as  if  his  petition  were  already  answered,  as  if 
his  broken  heart  were  renewed  and  the  fountain  of  his 
music  made  pure  and  sweet.  He  declares  the  object 
to  which  he  will  devote  his  ransomed  life : 

"  Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  ways, 
"And  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee." 

He  describes  the  thank-offerings  which  he  will  pre- 
sent unto  his  Saviour : 

"  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit. 
"  A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise." 

He  expresses  the  chief  longing  of  his  soul  in  an  ear. 
nest  request : 


82  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

"  Do  good  in  thy  good  pleasure  unto  Zion, 
"  Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem."  1 

Does  it  seem  strange  to  you  that  a  prayer  of  peni« 
tence  should  end  in  a  strain  like  this  ?  It  is  indeed 
the  most  touching,  the  most  wonderfully  true  and 
beautiful,  thing  in  the  whole  psalm.  It  is  as  if  David 
would  say  :  "  I  will  never  forget  my  sin ;  my  soul  shall 
ever  be  humble  and  penitent  before  my  God.  But  the 
very  memory  of  His  forgiveness  will  open  my  lips  to  a 
new  and  sweeter  song  of  praise.  My  own  experience 
shall  teach  me  how  to  warn  and  help  and  comfort  those 
who  are  going  astray.  And  I  will  lose  myself  in  the 
joy  of  God's  house  and  in  the  growth  of  His  kingdom." 
Philosophy  of  heaven !  When  shall  our  hearts  enter 
into  its  divine  sweetness?  When  shall  we  learn  to 
make  our  dead  selves  the  stepping-stones  to  higher 
things,  and  to  bury  our  shame  and  sorrow  in  the  glad- 
ness of  work  for  God  and  man  ? 

Leave  thy  confession  there  in  the  darkness  before 
the  mercy-seat.  Bring  thy  contrition  with  thee,  not  as 
a  heavy  burden,  but  as  an  everlasting  reminder  of  thy 
Saviour's  pardoning  love.  And  then  make  thy  new 
life  a  happy  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving  upon  the  altar 

1  It  has  been  urged  that  the  last  two  verses  of  the  psalm  indicate 
that  it  was  written  in  the  time  of  the  exile,  when  Jerusalem  was  deso- 
late. But  this  objection  may  be  answered  by  saying  (1)  that  these 
Tones  may  be  regarded  as  a  later  addition  to  the  original  psalm,  or 
(2)  that  the  prayer  "Build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusalem"  is  not  out 
of  place  in  the  mouth  of  David,  since  the  city  was  in  need  of  defence 
and  was  not  yet  completely  fortified.  The  latter  seems  to  me  the  bet- 
ter explanation.  And  in  this  light  the  action  of  Solomon  may  be  con- 
sidered an  answer  to  this  prayer.  (1  Kings  iii.  1.) 


THE  PRODIGAL'S  RETURN  83 

of  useful  service.  So  shalt  thou  understand  how  all 
things,  even  our  sins  and  sufferings,  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  God,  and  the  saying  of  St. 
Augustine  is  true  :  Sunt  quibus  expedit  cadere. 


vn 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


PSALM  XXXII 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING" 


THIS  psalm  follows  close  upon  the  fifty-first,  even  as 
the  day  follows  the  night,  as  forgiveness  follows  peni- 
tence, and  peace  follows  forgiveness.  It  shows  a  smil- 
ing face  after  the  tears  have  been  wiped  away.  The 
prodigal  has  entered  the  Father's  house,  and  now  we 
hear  "  the  sound  of  music  and  dancing." 

There  is  no  new  story  from  the  life  of  David  to  be 
connected  with  this  psalm.1  There  are  no  outward 
events  recorded  in  the  history  to  mark  his  passage 
from  the  minor  key  of  grief  to  the  major  key  of  glad- 
ness. The  transition  was  spiritual  and  secret.  There 
is  an  interval,  a  blank,  an  eloquent  silence,  which  the 
reader  must  fill  out  of  his  own  knowledge  of  the  gra- 
cious dealings  of  God  with  His  sinful  and  wayward 
creatures. 

But  if  we  wish  to  gather  historical  associations  of 
some  kind  about  the  psalm,  so  as  to  make  it  more  vivid 
and  lifelike,  we  can  easily  find  them.  We  may  think  of 
its  words  as  they  were  chanted  in  the  sonorous  Hebrew 
tongue,  year  after  year,  century  after  century,  at  the 

1  Even  Ewald  concedes  that  David  was  its  author ;  and  what  the 
great  denier  admits,  no  other  critic  will  care  to  question.  The  word 
Maschil,  which  is  prefixed  to  the  psalm,  means,  probably,  "  a  devout 
meditation." 


88       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

close  of  the  service  on  the  Day  of  Atonement,  gathering 
upon  their  wings  the  rejoicings  of  thousands  and  ten 
thousands  of  pardoned  sinners,  and  bearing  them  up- 
ward from  the  great  court  of  the  Temple  into  the  bright 
sky.  We  may  think  of  St.  Paul  sitting  in  the  house  of 
Gaius  in  the  busy  city  of  Corinth  and  poring  upon  this 
psalm  as  a  proof  of  the  doctrine  of  the  forgiveness  of 
sins.1  We  may  think  of  St.  Augustine  lying  upon  his 
sick-bed  and  reading  the  words  of  this  psalm  which  he 
had  written  upon  the  opposite  wall  for  his  continual 
comfort  and  daily  meditation.  We  may  think  of  Gali- 
leo in  his  Roman  prison  repeating  this  psalm  every  week 
for  three  years,2  —  a  task  which  his  inquisitors  doubt- 
less imposed  upon  him  for  a  penance,  but  which  must 
have  proved  a  consolation  and  an  encouragement  to 
his  soul.  We  may  think  of  Martin  Luther  expressing 
his  conviction  that  this  psalm  was  one  of  the  four  most 
precious  in  the  whole  book,  "  because,"  said  he,  "  it 
teaches  that  the  pardon  of  sin  comes  without  the  law 
and  without  works  to  the  man  who  believes."  And 
thus  we  can  see  David  fulfilling  his  promise  that  if 
God  would  open  his  lips,  his  mouth  should  show  forth 
the  praise  of  his  Redeemer.  We  can  hear  this  song 
flowing  down  through  the  ages  like  an  unfailing  stream 
of  help  and  refreshment,  of  which  every  man  may 
drink,  and  yet  it  is  not  diminished  but  rather  increased 
and  filled  with  new  sweetness. 


1  Rom.  iy.  7,  8. 

2  When  the  Holy  Inquisition  cast  him  into  prison  for  asserting  the 
truth  about  the  earth  and  the  stars,  he  was  ordered  to  repeat  the  seven 
Penitential  Psalms  every  week  as  a  part  of  his  punishment. 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING"  89 

1.  Mark  how  it  opens  with  a  benediction.  "  Blessed" 
• —  the  word  in  the  original  is  not  singular,  but  plural, 
as  if  to  express  the  number  and  variety  of  the  joys 
which  the  Psalmist  has  found.  No  one  word  is  large 
enough  to  contain  them ;  and  so  he  multiplies  the 
phrase  by  an  unknown  quantity,  and  cries, 

"  O  the  happinesses  of  him  whose  transgression  is  forgiven, 

"  Whose  sin  is  covered ; 

**  O  the   happinesses  of   the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not 

iniquity, 
"  And  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile  !  " 

An  exclamation  is  often  better  than  a  description  ;  a 
song  is  often  more  instructive  than  a  sermon;  and 
David  could  not  have  proved  or  explained  the  reality 
of  his  repentance  in  any  other  way  so  well  as  by  this 
quick  and  joyous  outburst  of  music.  It  is  like  the 
gleam  of  rosy  light  upon  the  western  Alps ;  when  we 
see  it  we  know  that  the  sun  has  risen.  It  is  like  an 
involuntary  echo  from  the  heart ;  when  we  hear  it  we 
know  that  God  has  spoken  the  word  of  peace.  I  had 
rather  see  a  pardoned  sinner  show  his  happiness  than 
hear  him  define  his  experience. 

But  though  these  verses  are  full  of  the  freshness  of 
natural  emotion,  they  are  not  carelessly  or  thoughtlessly 
constructed.  They  are  most  wonderful  in  the  wealth 
of  their  meaning  and  the  exactness  of  their  language. 
Here  are  three  words  to  describe  sin,  and  three  words 
to  describe  forgiveness ;  and  each  one  of  them  has  its 
own  peculiar  significance  and  value,  so  that  the  un- 
worthiness  of  man  and  the  loving-kindness  of  God  are 
fully  exhibited  and  illuminated  on  all  sides.  Sin  is 


90       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

transgression,1  an  offence  against  God,  a  departure 
from  Him,  a  defection  from  His  covenant.  Sin  is  a 
coming  short  of  the  mark,2  a  false  step,  a  wandering 
from  the  path  of  duty.  Sin  is  an  iniquity,3  an  inward 
depravity  or  perversity,  a  crookedness  of  the  soul  which 
makes  it  like  a  bent  sword  or  a  deformed  tree. 

And  when  God  pardons  sin,  He  forgives  it.  He 
takes  it  away  4  as  a  burden  is  lifted  from  a  weary  back. 
He  covers  it,5  He  hides  it  out  of  sight  beneath  the 
mantle  of  His  mercy.  He  imputes  it  not,6  blotting  it 
out  from  His  book  of  account  like  a  cancelled  debt.  So 
far  as  the  relations  between  God  and  the  sinner  are  con- 
cerned, that  sin  is  destroyed,  obliterated,  gone  forever. 
There  is  no  more  heavy  weight  to  be  carried,  no  more 
shame  to  be  endured,  no  more  fearful  reckoning  to  be 
paid.  The  heavy-laden  hea-rt  is  lightened ;  the  faulty 
and  shrinking  soul  is  clothed  with  fair  garments ;  the 
debtor  is  released  from  his  prison  and  his  debt ;  the 
penitent's  faith  is  accounted  unto  him  for  righteous- 
ness, and  he  walks  forth  a  free  man  under  the  favour  of 
God.  Rest  and  cleanness  and  liberty,  —  these  are  the 
happinesses  of  the  man  who  has  sought  and  found  the 
mercy  of  God.  And  surely  the  world  holds  none  that 
can  be  compared  to  them. 

But  there  is  one  condition  to  be  fulfilled  before  a 
man  can  really  enjoy  these  blessings.  It  is  not  enough 
that  he  should  be  pardoned ;  he  must  also  have  a  spirit 
without  guile.  This  does  not  mean  that  he  must  be 

1  V.  1,  first  clause.  *  V.  1,  second  clause. 

•  V.  2,  first  clause.  *  Cf .  Ex.  xaociv.  7  ;  St.  John  i.  2ft 

•  Cf.  Is.  mviii.  17;  xliv.  22.        •  Cf.  Rom.  iv.  6-9. 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING"  91 

like  an  angel  in  purity,  for  then  the  condition  would 
be  so  hard  that  it  would  shut  us  all  out.  It  means 
simply  that  the  man  who  asks  God's  forgiveness  must 
be  sincere  and  true  and  candid,  like  that  earnest  dis- 
ciple whom  Christ  saw  under  the  fig-tree.1  He  must 
utter  no  falsehood  either  to  himself  or  to  his  God. 
Conceal  nothing,  disguise  nothing,  extenuate  nothing. 
Keep  back  no  darling  sin,  hidden  in  the  secret  place 
of  your  heart.  Make  no  false  excuses.  But  come  with 
an  open  and  transparent  soul,  like  a  clear  window 
through  which  the  light  of  God  may  flow. 

2.  And  now  David  shows  us  how  needful  is  this 
absolute  sincerity  and  straightforwardness  in  our  inter- 
course with  God,  by  recalling  his  own  story.  In  a 
strain  of  sorrowful  memory  he  describes  the  bitterness 
of  the  days  when  he  was  yet  in  his  sins,  unwilling  to 
make  a  free  confession  and  open  his  heart  before  the 
only  One  who  could  heal  it. 

"  While  I  kept  silence,  my  bones  waxed  old 
'  Through  my  roaring  all  the  day  long. 
'  For  day  and  night  thy  hand  was  heavy  upon  me : 
4  My  moisture  was  changed  as  with  the  drought  of  summer. 
'  I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  thee, 
'  And  mine  iniquity  have  I  not  hid : 
'  I  said,  I  will  confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord, 
'  And  thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin." 

A  sin  concealed  is  like  a  hidden  fire.  It  eats  into  the 
very  life  and  consumes  it  with  the  weariness  of  old 
age.  It  "  weighs  upon  the  heart."  It  dries  up  the 
springs  of  innocent  joy  and  peace,  so  that  the  whole 
existence  becomes  like  a  thirsty,  tedious  fever.  There 
i  St.  John  i.  47. 


92  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

is  no  relief  in  "  roaring."  All  the  complaints  and  mur- 
murings,  the  outcries  of  disgust  with  life  and  the 
growlings  of  a  sullen,  discontented  spirit,  are  in  vain. 
Swear  that  "  the  times  are  out  of  joint ;  "  swear  at  the 
world  for  a  cheat ;  swear  at  yourself  for  a  fool,  —  all 
this  will  bring  no  relief,  no  comfort.  The  disease  (and 
that  means  the  want  of  ease)  is  too  deep  for  any 
remedy  that  you  can  devise.  There  is  but  one  Physi- 
cian who  can  heal  it.  You  must  bring  it  to  Him, 
frankly,  freely,  with  no  reserve,  and  learn  that  an 
honest  confession  is  good  for  the  soul,  and  that  God's 
mercy  is  great  enough  to  blot  out  every  sin  except  that 
which  is  hidden.  No  half-repentance  can  possibly  suc- 
ceed, and  no  full  repentance  can  possibly  fail. 

3.  "For  this,"  says  David, —  for  this  readiness  to 
meet  the  sincere  and  open  heart  with  an  instant  for- 
giveness, — 

"Let  every  one  that  is  godly  pray  unto  thee 
"  In  a  time  when  thou  mayest  be  found." 

What  is  this  time,  so  precious  and  so  rich  in  priv- 
ilege ?  It  is  to-day ',  while  the  lamp  of  life  holds  out 
to  burn,  while  the  heart  is  still  sensitive  to  the  pain 
and  shame  of  sin,  while  the  desire  of  reconciliation 
and  peace  are  still  stirring  within  the  soul.  To-mor- 
row may  be  too  late ;  the  soul  may  be  dead  and  cold  in 
sullen  insensibility ;  the  floods  of  evil  may  have  drawn 
it  so  far  down  into  their  depths  that  no  light  is  visible 
and  no  upward  struggle  is  possible  ;  it  may  be  drifted 
to  and  fro  like  a  log  on  the  eddying  currents,  without 
desire  or  power  to  escape.  But  to  day  there  is  still  hope, 

1  Is.  zlix.  8 ;  lv.  0 ;  Jer.  zzix.  13. 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING"  93 

because  God  is  still  in  sight.     It  is  the  time  of  finding, 
and  if  any  man  will  make  it  the  time  of  seeking,  — 

"  Surely  when  the  great  waters  overflow 
"  They  shall  not  reach  unto  him." 

This  is  an  image  of  security  in  the  midst  of  danger, 
of  peace  in  the  midst  of  turmoil,  of  the  centre  of  calm 
which  scientists  tell  us  is  hidden  at  the  heart  of  every 
cyclone.  The  man  who  has  sought  and  found  the 
mercy  of  God  is  not  removed  from  the  world  of  sudden 
floods  and  tempests,  but  he  is  like  one  whose  feet  are 
set  upon  a  great  rock,  which  cannot  be  moved  or  over- 
whelmed. He  sees  the  waters  hurrying  past,  but  he 
himself  stands  firm,  unshaken  and  unterrified.  His 
confidence  is  not  in  himself,  but  in  God.  And  he  can 
sing  with  David,  — 

"  Thou  art  my  hiding-place  ;  thou  wilt  preserve  me  from  trouble. 
"  Thou  wilt  compass  me  about  with  songs  of  deliverance." 

There  is  a  peculiar  beauty  in  this  last  phrase.  It 
suggests  the  picture  of  a  company  of  singing  angels 
joining  hands  about  the  son  that  was  lost  and  is  found, 
and  making  him  the  centre  of  a  circle  of  joy.  He  is 
encompassed  with  songs;  they  are  his  guard,  his  de- 
fence. Music  is  like  a  wall  round  about  him.  Holy 
gladness  is  a  secure  protection  to  the  soul.  If  any  one 
is  merry,  let  him  sing  psalms ; l  and  the  little  devils 
who  are  always  waiting  to  spoil  every  pure  enjoyment, 
and  to  make  every  pleasure  an  occasion  to  sin,  will  fly 
away,  like  bats  from  a  cavern  when  a  torch  is  kindled. 
Even  the  dangers  which  haunt  the  hour  of  disaster  and 
loneliness,  the  temptations  to  doubt  and  murmuring 

1  James  v.  13. 


94       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  despair,  are  dispelled  when  the  heart  begins  to 
strike  up  a  song  of  deliverance.  Paul  and  Silas,  sit- 
ting in  the  darkness  of  the  Philippian  prison,1  were  sur- 
rounded by  their  songs  at  midnight  as  by  a  circle  of 
light,  and  the  evil  spirits  had  no  power  on  them,  dared 
not  come  near  them. 

4.  But  this  sacred  joy  is  not  to  be  a  mere  emotion 
stirring  upon  the  surface  of  the  life.  It  is  to  come 
from  the  heart  as  well  as  from  the  lips  ;  it  is  to  express 
a  changed  character,  a  new  relation  with  God,  a  manner 
of  life  which  sets  itself  in  harmony  with  the  Divine 
will  as  noble  words  to  noble  music.  And  so  the  psalm 
goes  on  to  describe  the  way  in  which  the  returned 
prodigal  will  live  in  his  Father's  house.  Here,  in  the 
eighth  verse,  the  person  of  the  speaker  seems  to  change, 
and  it  is  God  who  says,  — 

"  I  will  instruct  thee  and  teach  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  shalt  go : 

"  1  will  counsel  thee  with  mine  eye  upon  thee. 

"  Be  ye  not  as  the  horse,  or  as  the  mule,  which  have  no  understanding, 

"  Whose  trappings  must  be  bit  and  bridle  to  hold  them  in, 

*'  Else  they  will  not  come  near  unto  thee." 

This  is  a  kind  and  frank  warning  against  that  per- 
versity of  spirit,  that  wayward  obstinacy,  which  so  often 
brings  us  into  trouble.  It  is  a  generous  invitation  to 
a  life  of  gentle  guidance  and  spontaneous  obedience. 
God  does  not  deal  with  all  His  children  alike.  He 
cannot,  for  they  will  not  let  Him.  For  those  who  are 
stubborn  and  self-willed,  He  must  have  the  harness  of 
restraint  and  correction.  He  must  bridle  them,  lest 
they  do  harm  in  their  rebellious  folly.  The  govern- 
1  Acts  xvi.  25. 


"MUSIC  AND  DANCING"  95 

ment  of  the  world  could  not  go  on  for  a  moment  with- 
out strict  laws  and  severe  punishments  for  the  wicked 
and  headstrong.1 

But  God  does  not  love  this  method  best.  He  is  as 
reluctant  to  use  it  as  a  wise  parent  is  to  punish  a  child. 
He  desires  all  His  creatures  to  submit  themselves  intel- 
ligently and  cheerfully  to  Him ;  and  then,  for  them, 
He  has  another  method,  a  gracious  and  delightful  guid- 
ance, an  instruction  of  the  heart,  a  sweet  control  of  the 
spirit,  which  becomes  at  length  so  perfect  that  it  does 
not  even  need  a  word  or  an  explicit  commandment,  but 
expresses  itself  in  a  hint,  a  look,  a  glance  of  the  eye. 
We  sometimes  see  this  beautiful  relation  existing  be- 
tween a  wise  mother  and  her  child.  There  is  no  con- 
flict, no  harshness,  no  need  of  spoken  explanation  or 
reproof ;  correction,  encouragement,  direction,  are  con- 
veyed by  a  tone  of  the  voice,  by  an  expression  of  the 
face,  and  received  by  a  docile  love  which  has  grown 
into  an  instinct  of  subtle  comprehension.  You  wonder 
how  it  is  done.  You  wonder  how  the  mother's  wishes 
are  anticipated  and  the  child's  character  is  moulded  in 
sweet  unconsciousness.  It  is  the  spirit  of  sympathetic 
obedience ;  and  this  is  the  spirit  in  which  God  wishes 
us  to  live  with  Him.  The  choice  must  be  our  own. 
He  will  deal  with  us  as  we  deal  with  Him.  There  is 
no  fact  in  human  experience  more  certain  than  that 

"  Many  sorrows  shall  be  to  the  wicked  ; 

*  But  he  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord,  mercy  shall  compass  him  abont." 

"He   shall  be  surrounded  with  mercy  —  as  one  is 

1  Spurgeon  says  with  quaint  simplicity,  ' '  We  should  not  be  treated 
like  mules  if  there  was  not  so  much  of  the  ass  about  us." 


96       THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

surrounded  by  the  air  or  by  the  sunlight.  He  shall 
find  mercy  and  favour  everywhere  —  at  home,  abroad  ; 
by  day,  by  night ;  in  society,  in  solitude ;  in  sickness, 
in  health ;  in  life,  in  death ;  in  time,  in  eternity.  He 
shall  walk  in  the  midst  of  mercies ;  he  shall  die  amidst 
mercies ;  he  shall  live  in  a  better  world  in  the  midst 
of  eternal  mercies." l 

5.  The  instruction  of  the  psalm  is  ended.  The  way 
of  a  peaceful  and  happy  life  is  explained.  And  now 
the  music  breaks  out  again  in  full  tide,  with  a  three- 
fold note  of  joy : 

"  Be  glad  in  the  Lord, 
"  And  rejoice,  ye  righteous  ; 
"  And  shout  for  joy,  all  ye  that  are  upright  in  heart" 

It  is  said  that  a  friend  once  asked  the  great  composer 
Haydn,  why  his  church  music  was  always  so  full  of 
gladness.  He  answered,  "  I  cannot  make  it  otherwise. 
I  write  according  to  the  thoughts  I  feel ;  when  I  think 
upon  my  God,  my  heart  is  so  full  of  joy  that  the  notes 
dance  and  leap  from  my  pen  ;  and  since  God  has  given 
me  a  cheerful  heart,  it  will  be  pardoned  me  that  I 
serve  him  with  a  cheerful  spirit." 

Pardoned  ?     Nay,  it  will  be  praised  and  rewarded. 
For  God  looks  with  approval,  and  man  turns  with  grat- 
itude, to  every  one  who  shows  by  a  cheerful  life  that 
religion  is  a  blessing  for  this  world  and  the  next, 
i  Albert  Barnes. 


vm 

A  PRAYER  WITHOUT  A  PETITION 

PSALM  LXIII 


A  PRAYER  WITHOUT  A  PETITION 


THE  title  of  this  psalm  tells  us  only  that  it  was  com- 
posed by  David  l  when  he  was  in  the  wilderness  of  Ju- 
dah.  This  wilderness  was  the  wild  and  desolate  coun- 
try lying  to  the  eastward  of  Jerusalem  and  bordering 
upon  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea.  There  were  two 
occasions  when  David  was  in  this  region.  The  first 
was  in  his  youth,  during  his  prolonged  flight  from  the 
insane  jealousy  of  Saul.  But  this  could  not  have  been 
the  period  at  which  the  psalm  was  written,  for  it  speaks 
of  David,  in  the  eleventh  verse,  as  the  king.  The 
second  occasion  was  in  his  old  age,  when  he  retreated 
from  the  unnatural  fury  of  his  own  son,  Absalom,  who 
had  rebelled  against  his  father's  authority  and  set  him- 
self upon  his  father's  throne.  This  is  the  time  to 
which  the  psalm  probably  belongs.2  And  in  order 
that  we  may  appreciate  its  peculiar  beauty  we  must 
briefly  trace  the  story  of  Absalom's  revolt,  the  most 
bitter  trouble  of  David's  life. 

1  It  has  all  the  characteristics  of  his  style  :  vigour,  terseness,  and  ra- 
pidity of  movement,  unity  of  thought,  and  sublime  simplicity  of  imagery. 
There  are  certain  familiar  phrases  also,  such  as  "  the  shadow  of  God's 
wings,"  which  connect  it  with  other  psalms  clearly  belonging  to  Da- 
vid. 

2  2  Sam.  xv.  23,  28;  xvii.  16. 


100  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

His  great  sin  against  God,  as  we  have  already 
seen  from  the  fifty-first  and  thirty-second  psalms,  had 
been  abundantly  pardoned.  The  burden  of  guilt,  the 
sense  of  uncleanness,  had  been  taken  away  from  his 
soul.  But  the  result  of  that  sin  in  the  history  of  the 
nation  and  of  the  royal  house,  God  could  not,  or  at 
least,  in  His  infinite  wisdom,  God  did  not,  avert. 
Transgressions  may  be  forgiven,  but  their  consequences 
must  follow.  The  seeds  of  jealousy,  confusion,  and 
disaster  had  been  sown  in  the  family  of  David,  and  the 
harvest  of  shame  and  sorrow  must  be  reaped.  Dissen- 
sions and  quarrels  ripened  thick  and  fast.  The  king's 
children  disobeyed  and  disgraced  him.  His  counsellors 
proved  treacherous.  His  people  grew  cold  and  dis- 
loyal. His  years  were  full  of  anxiety  and  distress. 
At  last  the  troubles  culminated  in  the  conspiracy  of 
Absalom. 

This  young  man  was  by  nature  the  most  distin- 
guished among  the  sons  of  David.  He  was  celebrated 
throughout  all  Israel  for  his  personal  beauty.1  He 
seems  to  have  inherited  from  his  father  a  high  spirit 
and  daring  courage,  as  well  as  those  magnetic  quali- 
ties which  enabled  him  to  win  admirers  and  followers 
wherever  he  went.  His  servants  were  his  devoted 
soldiers ;  his  friends  were  his  blind  partisans.  He  was 
generous,  open-handed,  a  born  leader  of  men.  And 
the  king's  heart  yearned  towards  him  with  all  a  fa- 
ther's pride  and  love. 

But  beneath  this  attractive  exterior  Absalom  was 
haughty,  fierce,  and  desperately  ambitious.  He  was 

i  2  Sam.  xiv.  25. 


A  PRAYER  WITHOUT  A  PETITION        101 

like  David  outwardly,  but;  inwardly  ,he  was.  fitted  to 
become  his  father's  most  daitgciroiis  antagonist  and 
deadly  foe.  For  his  strong  .will  T\£>  iudjjtTerens  to  the 
restraints  of  religion,  and  his  reiikless  courage  was 
careless  of  the  scruples  of  humanity.  He  had  no  re- 
spect for  any  law  which  opposed  his  wishes,  and  no 
reverence  for  any  person  who  stood  between  him  and 
the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes.  His  oldest  brother 
had  done  him  a  great  injury.  For  two  years  Absalom 
brooded  over  the  wrong,  and  then  he  took  the  ven- 
geance into  his  own  hands  and  slew  the  offender.1 
This  daring  assertion  of  his  implacable  temper  and 
uncontrollable  self-will  seems  to  have  produced  wide- 
spread consternation.  The  very  presence  of  such  a 
prince  was  regarded  as  a  peril  to  the  kingdom  and  the 
royal  house.  Absalom  was  forced  to  fly  into  exile  in  a 
foreign  city,  where  he  remained  three  years.2  But  the 
fond  king  still  loved  him  and  longed  for  his  return. 
Through  the  mediation  of  Joab,  the  fugitive  was 
brought  back  to  Jerusalem,  under  the  promise  of 
pardon  and  safe-conduct.3  But  his  father  could  not 
yet  endure  to  look  upon  his  face,  and  so  he  dwelt  for 
two  years  in  his  own  house  in  comparative  disgrace. 
This  seems  to  have  preyed  upon  his  proud  spirit.  He 
could  not  bear  it  any  longer.  Exile  would  have  been 
more  tolerable  than  this  halfway  restoration.4  Finally 
he  prevailed  upon  Joab  to  obtain  an  audience  for  him ; 
and  he  came  to  the  king  and  bowed  himself  on  his 
face  to  the  ground  before  the  king ;  and  the  king 

1  2  Sam.  ziii.  23-29.  2  2  Sam.  xiii.  38. 

8  2  Sam.  riv.  1-24.  *  2  Sam.  xiv.  32. 


102  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

kissed  Absalom.  So,  th&  reconciliation  was  complete, 
and  the  doting  'father^  wsts  reunited  to  his  favourite 
son,0  J  • 

But  this  reconciliation  was  the  occasion  of  still 
greater  troubles.  For  as  soon  as  Absalom  found  him- 
self reinstated  in  his  princely  dignity  he  began  to  as- 
sume royal  airs.  His  elder  brother  was  now  out  of 
the  way.  He  considered  himself  as  the  rightful  suc- 
cessor to  the  throne.  He  was  determined  to  forestall 
the  claims  of  Solomon,  the  son  of  Bathsheba,  to  antici- 
pate destiny,  and  to  make  sure  of  the  crown  while  it 
was  within  his  reach.  It  would  be  easier  to  push 
aside  his  old  father  than  it  would  be  to  dethrone  his 
young  brother,  if  the  sceptre  once  fell  into  his  hands. 
To  a  man  like  Absalom  the  considerations  of  filial 
duty  and  affection  were  trifles  light  as  air.  He  never 
thought  of  them ;  or  if  he  did,  he  dismissed  them  with 
contempt,  and  proceeded  to  carry  out  his  lofty  plans. 
He  surrounded  himself  with  a  splendid  retinue,  know- 
ing that  the  populace  loves  display.  He  moved  abroad 
with  chariots  and  horses  and  fifty  footmen  running  be- 
fore him.1  At  the  same  time  he  used  all  the  ingratiat- 
ing arts  of  the  politician.  He  frequented  the  crowded 
gateway  of  the  city,  and  conversed  affably  with  every- 
body, and  saluted  strangers  with  condescending  hearti- 
ness, and  inquired  after  their  affairs,  and  suggested 
that  there  was  little  chance  of  their  getting  justice  un- 
der the  present  king,  but  if  he,  Absalom,  only  had  the 
power  they  should  all  obtain  their  rights.2  So,  says 
the  graphic  historian,  "  Absalom  stole  the  hearts  of  the 
.  1.  2  2  Sam.  xv.  2-6. 


A  PRAYER  WITHOUT  A   PETITION        103 

men  of  Israel ;  "  and  he  cared  little  that  it  was  his  own 
father  whom  he  was  robbing. 

When  the  time  was  ripe,  when  his  party  seemed 
strong  enough  for  a  successful  revolution,  he  went 
down  to  the  ancient  city  of  Hebron,  the  former  capital 
of  Judah,  and  having  prepared  his  friends  by  sending 
emissaries  throughout  the  country,  he  set  up  the  stand- 
ard of  revolt  and  proclaimed  himself  king.1  The  blare 
of  his  rebellious  trumpets  echoed  from  city  to  city. 
His  admirers  came  flocking  to  his  support.  The  secret 
dissatisfaction  with  David  which  must  have  been  long 
smouldering  among  the  men  of  Israel  broke  out  into  an 
open  blaze.  Those  whom  he  had  offended  or  injured, 
notably  the  great  Ahithophel,  once  his  wisest  counsellor 
and  most  trusted  friend,2  the  grandfather  of  Bathsheba, 
went  over  to  the  pretender.  The  conspiracy  gathered 
head  with  marvellous  rapidity.3  David,  sitting  in  sor- 
rowful surprise  and  bitter  dismay  in  his  palace  at 
Jerusalem,  felt  that  his  only  safety  lay  in  flight  and 
concealment.4  Hastily  gathering  his  household  and  a 
few  faithful  friends  about  him,  he  went  forth  once  more 
into  exile,  a  fugitive  now,  not  from  the  jealousy  of  his 
suspicious  monarch,  but  from  the  unnatural  and  cruel 
ambition  of  his  own  darling  son. 

He  would  not  suffer  the  Ark  to  go  with  him  in  his 
peril,  but  sent  it  back  again  into  the  city.5  On  foot, 
with  no  sign  of  royal  dignity,  surrounded  by  weep- 
ing followers,  he  passed  down  the  steep  road  into  the 
valley  and  across  the  brook  Kidron.  And  as  he 

1  2  Sam.  xv.  7-11.  2  Ps.  xli.  9 ;  Iv.  12-14. 

3  2  Sain.  xv.  12.  4  2  Sam.  xv.  14.        6  Ibid.  25. 


104  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

ascended  the  Mount  of  Olives  he  covered  his  head  and 
wept,1  for  he  was  leaving  the  tabernacle  of  God  and 
the  city  of  his  glory,  his  most  trusted  friend  was  a 
traitor,  and  the  child  of  his  love  was  seeking  his  life. 
Out  into  the  wilderness  he  wandered,  —  the  same  wil- 
derness which  had  sheltered  him  in  his  youth,  —  there 
to  find  a  hiding-place  until  the  trusty  band  of  his  fol- 
lowers should  be  strong  enough  to  make  a  stand 
against  his  foes.  And  there  it  was  that  he  wrote  this 
sixty-third  Psalm. 

The  most  wonderful  thing  about  it  is  that  it  does 
not  contain  a  single  petition.  David  is  dethroned  and 
beggared  and  outcast,  but  he  asks  for  nothing.  He 
does  not  find  fault  with  God,  or  prefer  an  urgent  re- 
quest for  restoration.  He  speaks  almost  as  if  he  were 
still  rich  and  prosperous  and  secure.  He  expresses  the 
longing  of  his  soul  for  God,  the  contentment  of  his 
heart  in  the  Divine  communion,  the  confidence  of  his 
faith  that  his  enemies  will  be  overthrown.  But  there 
is  not  one  word  of  complaint  or  of  importunity.  He 
simply  casts  himself  upon  the  Lord  and  waits  patiently 
for  Him. 

There  are  four  words  which  will  give  us  the  key  to 
the  psalm. 

1.  "  O  God,  thou  art  my  God." 

This  is  a  declaration  of  personal  possession,  we  might 
almost  say  a  claim  of  ownership,  in  the  greatest  Being 
in  the  universe.  In  the  Hebrew  there  are  but  two 
words,  —  Elohim  Eli.  It  is  as  if  David  would  say, 
"  O  thou  ever-awful  One,  thou  belongest  unto  me  ;  my 
one  treasure,  my  strength,  my  life." 
1  2  Sam.  xv.  80. 


A   PRAYER  WITHOUT  A   PETITION        105 

There  is  no  vanity,  no  self-assertion,  in  this  claim. 
It  is  but  the  recognition  of  the  truth  which  is  clearly 
revealed  in  the  Bible  and  most  precious  to  the  soul  of 
man;  the  truth,  namely,  that  God  loveth  altogether 
where  He  loves  at  all ;  that  He  does  not  give  Himself 
partially  but  entirely ;  that  He  enters  in  all  complete- 
ness into  every  heart  that  accepts  Him,  as  if  there  were 
not  another  in  the  universe.  Every  one  of  His  glorious 
attributes,  all  His  thoughts  of  wisdom  and  feelings  of 
infinite  affection  and  purposes  of  eternal  kindness  be- 
come in  a  real  and  true  sense  the  property  of  the  indi- 
vidual believer.  And  even  this  does  not  exhaust  the 
intimacy  and  perfection  of  the  relationship  ;  for  the  very 
personality  of  God,  that  living  fountain  of  all  His  gifts 
and  manifestations,  belongs  to  each  one  of  His  children, 
so  that  the  whole  world  might  perish  and  yet  the  soli- 
tary soul  could  say, 

"  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  forever."  1 

This  is  the  true  meaning  of  personal  religion :  not 
merely  that  the  faith  and  love  and  hope  of  the  believer 
proceed  from  a  personal  source  within  himself  and  are 
independent  of  all  outward  circumstances,  but  that  they 
centre  in  a  Personal  Being,  who  has  made  us  for  Him- 
self and  bestows  Himself  upon  us.  And  this  truth  finds 
its  most  perfect  disclosure  in  the  incarnation  of  Jesus 
Christ.  For  if  David,  who  had  never  seen  the  Divine 
face,  could  learn  to  say  in  the  sublimity  of  his  confi- 
dence, "Thou  art  my  God,"  how  much  more  shall  those 
who  have  beheld  the  Eternal  Love  embodied  in  a  hu- 
man form  and  offering  Himself  to  death  for  their 
1  Ps.  Ixxiii.  26. 


106  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

sakes,  believe  that  God  really  and  truly  belongs  to 
them.  Every  one  that  receives  and  trusts  and  follows 
Christ  is  entitled  to  call  Him, "  My  Master,  my  Sav- 
iour, my  Lord,  and  my  God."  And  just  as  if  your  soul 
alone  had  been  saved  by  the  atonement  of  the  cross, 
you  can  say  with  St.  Paul,  "  The  Son  of  God  who  loved 
me  and  gave  himself  for  me."  l 

2.   "My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee." 

Here  David  passes  from  the  thought  of  his  great 
possession  to  his  present  condition.  He  remembers  the 
privileges  of  his  intercourse  with  God  in  the  sanctuary 
where  he  has  gazed  upon  the  symbols  of  the  Divine 
power  and  glory,  and  been  filled  with  joy  and  peace. 
From  all  these  privileges  he  is  now  cut  off.  The  Ark 
of  God  is  far  away  from  him.  The  Tabernacle  which 
his  hands  had  built  for  the  Mercy-seat  is  in  the  power 
of  his  enemies.  He  cannot  enter  its  beloved  gates,  or 
sing  his  psalms  of  praise  with  its  precincts.  He  rntftt 
dwell  in  a  dry  and  weary  land  without  water.  The 
barren  wastes  of  rock  and  sand  through  which  he  is 
journeying  seem  to  him  like  pictures  of  his  spiritual 
deprivations,  and  he  cries  with  the  simplicity  of  a  child, 
"  My  father,  I  am  very  thirsty." 

And  is  it  not  true,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  God  is 
ours  and  goes  with  us  wherever  we  go,  that  we  some- 
times come  into  a  place  where  the  familiar  privileges 
of  fellowship  with  Him  are  straitened,  and  the  mani- 
festations of  his  favour  seem  too  scanty  to  supply  our 
wants.  Not  to  many  of  us  has  it  happened  to  be  en. 
tirely  deprived  of  the  outward  ordinances  of  religion, 

i  Gal.  ii.  20. 


A   PRAYER  WITHOUT  A   PETITION        107 

to  dwell  in  a  region  where  there  was  no  church  and  no 
community  of  worship  and  no  sweet  service  of  Chris- 
tian praise  and  prayer :  but  perhaps  there  are  some  of 
the  readers  of  this  book  who  have  known  what  it  is  to 
be  kept,  by  sickness,  or  infirmity  of  body,  or  the  duty 
of  caring  for  others  who  were  helpless,  for  a  long  time 
from  the  house  of  God  and  the  community  of  Chris- 
tian worship.  If  the  church  has  ever  been  a  reality 
and  a  blessing  to  you,  this  enforced  absence  has  given 
you  pain  and  distress.  You  may  have  borne  it  pa- 
tiently and  without  murmuring  ;  but  still  it  has  been  a 
real  trial,  and  you  have  felt  that  deep  thirstiness  of 
spirit  which  David  describes  in  his  psalm.  It  is  a  mark 
of  true  religious  life.  For  when  a  man  can  willingly 
forego  even  the  outward  services  of  religion,  and  stay 
away  from  the  house  of  God,  and  let  the  seasons  of 
devotion  and  communion  pass  by  without  a  thought  of 
regret,  his  faith  and  love  must  be  at  a  low  ebb,  if  in- 
deed they  have  not  altogether  dried  up  and  blown 
away.  A  living  plant  seeks  water :  a  living  soul  longs 
for  the  refreshment  of  the  sanctuary. 

3.  To  those  who  understand  the  meaning  of  this 
thirst,  the  third  part  of  the  psalm  comes  as  a  gracious 
recompense  and  relief. 

"  Thy  loving-kindness  is  better  than  life." 

"  It  is  true,"  says  David,  "  that  many  of  my  comforts 
and  blessings  are  taken  away;  but  after  all  the  best 
remains.  For  though  Thy  tabernacle  is  far  distant, 
Thou  art  near,  and  the  inward  sense  of  Thy  mercy 
satisfies  and  sustains  my  soul.  In  the  night-watches  I 
think  of  Thee,  and  happiness  makes  my  hard  bed  a 


108  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

couch  of  true  rest.  I  do  not  miss  the  luxuries  of  my 
royal  table,  for  Thou  feedest  me  continually  with  better 
food.  I  do  not  miss  the  shelter  of  my  palace,  for  Thy 
wings  of  protection  are  above  me.1  I  can  spare  the 
hand-clasp  of  my  former  friend,  yes,  even  the  embrace 
of  my  darling  son,  for  Thy  right  hand  upholdeth  me. 
What  is  all  that  I  have  lost,  what  is  life  itself,  com- 
pared with  thy  loving-kindness  ?  " 

How  secure  is  the  man  who  can  fall  back  upon  such 
a  reserve  !  How  happy  beyond  all  calamity,  how  rich 
beyond  all  failure,  the  believer  who  has  such  an  alliance 
with  the  Almighty  Friend  of  the  soul ! 

4.  The  last  part  of  the  psalm  seems  to  descend  from 
this  high  level  to  a  lower  plane  of  feeling.  It  is  a 
prophecy  of  disaster  and  punishment  to  David's  ene- 
mies. It  is  summed  up  in  the  words, 

"  The  mouth  of  them  that  speak  lies  shall  be  stopped." 

It  may  be  that  some  readers  will  regret  this  change 
of  tone  and  wish  that  these  last  three  verses  had  been 
omitted.  But  let  us  remember  that  nothing  else  could 
have  given  us  such  a  sense  of  actuality,  of  real  human 
experience  embodied  in  the  psalm.  These  verses  remind 
us  most  forcibly  of  the  place  where  it  was  written.2 
of  the  king's  peril  and  distress,  of  the  relentless  and 
unnatural  foes  by  whom  he  was  surrounded.  And  if 
we  wonder  that  he  could  write  the  first  verses  under 
such  circumstances,  let  us  not  be  surprised  that  the 
sense  of  the  treachery  which  had  been  used  against 
him  and  the  dangers  into  which  he  had  been  driven 

1  Cf.  Pg.  xviL  8;  xzxvL  7;  Ivii.  1 ;  Ixi.  4. 

*  Note  the  allusion  to  the  jackals  which  abounded  in  the  wilderness. 


A   PRAYER    WITHOUT  A   PETITION        109 

finds  its  natural  expression  in  these  closing  words.  Re- 
member also  that  he  is  not  speaking  now  merely  as  a 
man,  but  as  a  prophet.  He  is  not  invoking  curses  upon 
his  adversaries,  but  predicting  their  overthrow  and  the 
triumph  of  justice  and  right.  Were  not  these  predic- 
tions fulfilled  in  the  suicide  of  the  traitor  Ahithophel,1 
in  the  death  of  the  rebel  Absalom,2  in  the  scattering 
and  destruction  of  the  insurgent  army  ?  Over  one  at 
least  of  these  unhappy  criminals  David  wept  with  the 
bitter  grief  of  personal  regret ;  8  but  he  could  not  help 
feeling  that  their  punishment  was  necessary  and  just. 
Nor  ought  we,  as  Christians,  to  feel  otherwise.  It 
is  true  that  there  are  some  expressions  of  indignation 
in  the  Psalms  of  David  which  we  have  no  right  to 
use.  But  as  we  stand  beside  our  Master  Christ,  we 
must  listen  not  only  to  His  words  of  pity  and  par- 
don for  the  misguided,  but  also  to  His  solemn  denun- 
ciations of  the  incorrigibly  wicked.4  Our  first  desire 
and  effort  for  all  the  enemies  of  our  souls  and  all  the 
rebels  against  God,  should  be  for  their  conversion  and 
salvation.  But  if  they  will  not  turn  and  repent,  then 
we  must  be  sure  that  in  the  end  every  mouth  of  false- 
hood shall  be  silenced.  For  truth  and  righteousness 
must  prevail.  The  King  must  reign.  All  His  foes 
must  submit  or  be  destroyed.  Even  though  it  must 
be  won  by  the  sword,  God's  universal  empire  shall  be 
peace.  Weep  for  the  fallen.  But  rejoice  in  the  vic- 
tory. 

1  2  Sam.  xvii.  23.  2  2  Sam.  xviii.  9-15.  *  Ibid.  v.  33. 

4  St.  Matt,  xxiii.  29-36 ;  St.  Luke  x.  12-15. 


IX 

A  ROYAL  ODE 

PSALM  LXXII 


A  ROYAL  ODE 


THERE  is  little  room  for  doubt  that  the  author  of 
this  psalm,  as  the  inscription  says,  was  Solomon.  It  has 
a  stately  and  splendid  air,  a  tone  of  large  magnificence, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  thought  is  more  philosophical 
and  artificial,  less  vivid  and  spontaneous,  than  in  the 
poems  of  David.  The  imagery  is  drawn  from  the 
natural  world,  but  it  is  reflective  rather  than  pictorial, 
it  has  more  of  propriety  than  of  originality.  The  move- 
ment of  the  language  is  formal  and  exact;  the  sen- 
tences are  carefully  balanced ;  it  is  the  product  not  of 
a  creative  but  of  a  constructive  age  ;  it  belongs  to  the 
classical  rather  than  to  the  romantic  school;  and  the 
structure  of  the  verse  is  in  couplets,  like  the  Book  of 
Proverbs.1 

But  whether  Solomon  was  its  author  or  not,  he  was 
undoubtedly  its  subject,  for  there  is  none  other  among 
the  kings  of  Israel  to  whom  it  can  be  applied  with  so 
much  fitness.  He  was  the  most  opulent,  peaceful,  and 
powerful  of  all  the  Hebrew  monarchs.  In  his  reign  the 
glory  of  Jerusalem  culminated. 

At  the  same  time  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  even 
Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  falls  short  of  the  full  signifi- 
i  Delitzsch  on  the  Psalms,  vol.  ii.  p.  299. 


114      THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

cance  of  this  psalm.  He  does  not  fill  the  outlines. 
There  is  something  here  which  goes  beyond  all  the 
outward  splendour  of  the  court  at  Jerusalem  and  ex- 
ceeds the  proudest  triumphs  of  the  Davidic  dynasty. 
Behind  these  pictures  of  royal  prosperity  One  greater 
than  Solomon  is  standing,  and  as  the  dim,  majestic 
figure  of  the  ancient  potentate  fades  away  into  the 
darkness  of  the  past,  we  see  the  grander  image  of  the 
Kingship  of  Jesus  Christ  shining  out  from  the  canvas 
and  filling  it  completely.1 

The  Jewish  interpreters  have  always  seen  in  this 
psalm  a  prophecy  of  the  Messiah,  and  the  Christian 
church  has  read  it  in  the  same  light  and  used  it  as  the 
chief  psalm  for  the  festival  of  the  Epiphany,  which 
commemorates  the  manifestation  of  Christ  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. Now  when  we  come  to  ask  what  right  we  have 
to  do  this,  and  how  it  is  possible  that  the  same  poem 
should  have  been  written  to  celebrate  the  glories  of 
an  actual  monarch  of  Jerusalem  and  to  foreshadow  the 
greater  glories  of  the  coming  Messiah,  there  are  two 
things  which  it  is  important  for  us  to  embody  in  our 
answer. 

In  the  first  place,  we  must  hold  fast  to  the  reality 
of  the  historical  interpretation.  The  psalm  is  not  an 
allegory,  not  a  conscious  and  skilful  adaptation  of 
figurative  language  to  the  purposes  of  religious  in- 
struction. "  They  who  will  have  this  to  be  simply  a 
prediction  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  seem  to  twist  the 

1  "  In  any  other  than  the  Christian  sense  it  would  be  a  specimen  of 
more  than  Persian  or  Mogul  hyperbole  and  bombast,  of  which  there  it 
no  other  instance  in  Scripture."  —  Coleridge. 


A   ROYAL   ODE  115 

words  very  violently." l  The  allusions  to  contemporary 
history  and  geography  are  very  clear,  and  they  must 
be  interpreted  in  a  straightforward  way.  It  is  plain 
that  the  writer  was  thinking  first  of  the  dominion 
of  Solomon,  its  present  splendours  and  its  future  tri- 
umphs. 

But  we  must  also  remember,  in  the  second  place, 
that  the  psalm  is  undoubtedly  a  piece  of  typical  lit- 
erature. By  this  I  meali  that  it  stands  in  such  rela- 
tion to  a  history  which  was  planned  and  directed  by 
God  with  a  continuous  purpose  of  revelation,  that  its 
words  are  pregnant  with  a  divine  meaning,  and  find 
their  complete  fulfilment  only  when  the  revelation  is 
completed  in  Christ.  The  promise  of  the  Messiah 
runs  like  a  thread  of  gold  through  the  entire  career 
of  the  Hebrew  race.2  This  great  hope  planted  itself 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  people.  It  throbbed  pas- 
sionately and  persistently  in  the  bravest  of  their  war- 
riors, the  purest  of  their  kings,  the  loftiest  of  their 
poets.  It  reflected  light  upon  everything  connected 
with  it,  —  backward  upon  the  patriarchs  and  heroes  of 
the  past,  forward  upon  the  monarchs  and  leaders  of 
the  future.  It  irradiated  the  Temple  and  its  service 
with  a  supernal  splendour,  and  made  the  holy  city  of 
Jerusalem  seem  the  very  centre  of  the  world's  expec- 
tation, and  gave  a  sacred  meaning  to  the  sufferings  of 
those  who  were  persecuted  by  the  enemies  of  Jehovah, 
and  crowned  the  throne  of  David  with  the  glory  of  an 

1  John  Calvin,  quoted  by  Perowne,  in  loc. 

2  ' '  The  central  theme  and  the  culmination  of  Hebrew  prophecy  19 
the  Messianic  ideal."  — C.  A.  Briggs,  Messianic  Prophecy,  p.  60. 


116  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

everlasting  promise.1  When  should  He  appear,  —  this 
mighty  prophet,  this  perfect  priest,  this  king  beyond 
compare?  Who  could  tell?  It  might  be  to-day,  or 
to-morrow.  Every  gleam  that  brightened  the  national 
horizon  might  be  the  harbinger  of  His  rising.  Every 
song  of  triumph  that  sounded  through  Jerusalem  might 
be  the  processional  of  His  advent.  Every  new  and 
successful  monarch  might  be  the  Chosen  One  in  whom 
the  promise  should  be  fulfilled.  The  hope  was  sure. 
He  was  coming,  —  coming  to  this  people  Israel,  —  com- 
ing along  this  line  of  David's  house.  And  so  the 
Hebrew  poet,  singing  of  the  reign  of  the  new  king,  is 
lifted  above  himself  by  the  rising  tide  of  a  great  an- 
ticipation, and  his  song  takes  upon  itself  the  grander 
form  of  an  unconscious  prophecy,  which  becomes  clear 
and  luminous  only  when  the  light  of  the  Gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God  is  kindled  within  it.2 

He  may  not  have  comprehended  —  that  ancient 
royal  bard  —  all  that  he  was  saying.  He  may  not 
have  known  that  the  true  king  of  Israel  was  to  be  a 
Divine  Person,  for  the  twin  stars  of  the  coming  of 
Jehovah  to  the  earth  and  the  rising  of  the  Son  of 
David  to  the  throne  of  redemption  had  not  yet  joined 
their  beams.8  But  the  unconsciousness  of  the  human 

1  2  Sara.  vii.  11-16. 

2  "As  a  transparency  on  some  night  of  public  rejoicing,  seen  by 
common  day,  with  the  lamps  from  within  removed,  even  such  would 
the  Psalms  be  to  me,  nninterpreted  by  the  Gospel." —  Coleridge,  quoted 
by  Bishop  Alexander,  Witness  of  the  Psalms  to  Christ. 

9  "  The  Old  Testament,  in  relation  to  the  Day  of  the  New  Testament, 
is  Night.  In  this  Night  there  rise,  in  opposite  directions,  two  stars  oi 
Promise.  The  one  describes  its  path  from  above  downwards :  it  is  the 


A  ROYAL   ODE  117 

author  only  enhances  the  value  of  the  Divine  inspira- 
tion. His  song  comes  down  to  us  like  a  strain  of 
wordless  music ;  beautiful,  suggestive,  vague ;  floating 
out  from  the  lion-guarded  throne  at  Jerusalem,  and 
prolonging  itself  through  the  ages,  until  at  last  the 
perfect  words  have  come  to  meet  it  in  the  life  and 
character  and  reign  of  Jesus  Christ. 

He  who  first  inspired  the  music  is  the  same  who 
afterward  inspired  the  words, — the  Great  Spirit  of 
Love,  who  kindled  the  hope  of  salvation  in  the  hu- 
man heart,  and  then  fulfilled  that  hope  in  the  gift  of 
His  own  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  mankind. 

In  reading  this  psalm,  then,  our  first  thought  will 
be  of  King  Solomon,  of  whose  successful  reign  it  tells 
the  story ;  but  our  second  thought  will  go  beyond  this 
to  the  crown  and  kingdom  of  Him  who  is  fitly  called 
King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 

Solomon,  it  has  been  said,  is  "  in  some  respects  the 
grandest  and  saddest  figure  in  the  sacred  volume."1 
There  is  an  air  of  mystery  about  him  which  cannot  be 
penetrated.  The  opinions  of  men,  in  their  final  esti- 
mate of  his  character  and  reign,  vibrate  between  high 
praise  and  severe  condemnation.  There  never  was  a 

promise  of  Jahve  who  is  about  to  come.  The  other  describes  its  path 
from  below  upwards  :  it  is  the  prophecy  of  the  Son  of  David,  which,  at 
the  outset,  assumes  a  thoroughly  human  and  merely  earthly  character. 
These  two  stars  meet  at  last,  they  blend  together  into  one  star ;  the 
Night  vanishes  and  it  is  Day.  This  one  star  is  Jesus  Christ,  Jahve  and 
the  Son  of  David  in  one  person,  the  King  of  Israel  and  the  Redeemer 
of  the  world,  —  in  one  word,  the  God-man."  —  Delitzsch  on  the  Psalms, 
Tol.  ii.  p.  300. 

1  Stanley,  Jewish  Church,  vol.  ii.  p.  184. 


118  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

king  whose  sun  seemed  to  rise  so  clear  and  bright,  and 
yet  whose  setting  is  obscured  by  clouds  so  dark  and 
gloomy.  The  riddle  of  his  history  is  inscrutable. 
But  fortunately  we  are  not  required  to  read  it,  for  we 
have  to  do  only  with  the  earlier  portion  of  his  reign 
and  those  features  of  it  which  were  admirable  and 
noble. 

He  was  the  second  son  of  David  and  Bathsheba,1 
and  after  the  death  of  his  half-brothers  Amnon  and 
Absalom,  his  father  designated  him  as  the  heir  to  the 
throne,  confirming  his  promise  to  Bathsheba  with  a 
solemn  oath  that  her  son  should  reign.  The  attempt  of 
the  spoiled  child  Adonijah  2  to  imitate  the  example  of 
his  brother  Absalom,  and  frustrate  the  purpose  of  the 
king,  made  it  necessary  that  David  should  be  his  own 
executor,  and  while  he  was  still  living,  the  young  prince 
was  mounted  on  the  royal  mule  and  led  out  to  Gihon 
and  anointed  with  all  solemnity  as  his  father's  suc- 
cessor.8 The  trumpets  sounded  and  all  the  people 
said,  "  God  save  King  Solomon !  "  The  servants  of 
David  came  back  to  him  in  his  sick-room  to  tell  him 
that  his  desire  was  accomplished.4  They  saluted  him, 
saying,  "  Thy  God  make  the  name  of  Solomon  greater 
than  thy  name,  and  make  his  throne  greater  than  thy 
throne."  A  strange  greeting ;  but  the  old  king  wel- 
comed it  humbly  and  gratefully,  bowing  himself  upon 
his  bed,  and  answering,  "  Blessed  be  the  Lord  the  God 
of  Israel,  which  hath  given  one  to  sit  on  my  throne 
this  day,  mine  eyes  even  seeing  it."  David's  long  and 

1  The  first  died  in  infancy.     2  Sara.  xii.  15-18. 

a  1  King.  L  5,  6.  8  Ibid.  32-39.  «  Ibid.  47,  48. 


A   ROYAL   ODE  119 

troubled  life  was  spent.  He  felt  that  earth  had  noth- 
ing more  to  give  him.  His  calamities  were  overpast, 
his  wishes  were  accomplished.  He  died  in  peace  upon 
his  bed,  and  slept  with  his  fathers  in  the  little  village 
of  Bethlehem.1 

But  Solomon  —  young,  happy,  prosperous  prince  — 
had  grasped  the  sceptre  with  a  firm  hand,  and  was  well 
established  in  his  father's  seat.  His  enemies  fell  down 
before  him.  The  foolish  little  rebellion  of  Adonijah 
vanished  like  a  bank  of  mist  when  the  sun  strikes  it. 
Abiathar  and  Joab  and  Shimei  brought  down  destruc- 
tion upon  their  own  heads.  The  people  of  Israel 
turned  with  pride  and  devotion  to  their  new  ruler. 
The  divine  gift  of  wisdom  descended  upon  him  in 
great  abundance.2  He  administered  the  affairs  of  the 
nation  with  skill  and  success.  Wealth  increased.  His 
fame  went  abroad  into  other  lands,  and  neighbour- 
ing kings  acknowledged  the  superior  splendour  of  his 
throne.3  Israel  enlarged  her  borders,  and  her  mon- 
arch shone  before  the  world  like  the  noonday. 

Now  we  cannot  tell  at  what  precise  period  of  his 
reign  this  psalm  was  written,  but  we  can  easily  see  that 
it  describes,  in  a  broad  way,  the  principles  and  quali, 
ties  of  his  dominion,  and  alludes  directly  to  certain 
incidents  in  his  career.  We  may  not  call  it  a  Corona- 
tion Ode,  but  certainly  it  is  a  Royal  Psalm  for  Solo- 
mon the  king. 

Mark  the  tone  of  the  opening  section :  — 

"  Give  the  king  thy  judgments,  O  God, 
"And  thy  righteousness  unto  the  king's  son." 

1  1  Kings  ii.  10.  2  1  Kings  iv.  29-34.  8  Ibid.  21-28. 


120  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Here  we  have  the  dominant  note  of  Solomon's  reign, 
—  the  desire  for  extraordinary  wisdom  which  should 
enable  him  to  exercise  his  authority  with  perfect  jus- 
tice. And  we  cannot  help  turning  in  our  thought  to 
the  story  of  that  midnight  vision  at  Gibeon,  when  the 
young  ruler  asked  God  for  '  an  understanding  heart  to 
judge  the  people  and  to  discern  between  good  and 
evil.'  i 

Following  on  to  the  next  verse,  — 

"  He  shall  judge  thy  people  with  righteousness 
"  And  thy  poor  with  judgment,"  — 

we  feel  that  it  is  almost  a  description  of  the  famous 
episode  of  the  two  mothers  who  laid  claim  to  the  same 
child,  and  brought  their  case  to  the  king  for  trial.2 
They  were  poor  enough,  both  of  them,  —  outcasts  of  the 
city,  unworthy  even  to  appear  before  the  royal  presence. 
But  the  wise  Solomon  gave  as  much  thought  and  care 
to  their  claims  as  if  they  had  been  princesses,  and  by  a 
most  memorable  exercise  of  judicial  skill  brought  light 
out  of  the  darkness,  obtained  testimony  without  wit- 
nesses, and  rendered  a  decision  which  has  become  pro- 
verbial for  its  perfect  equity. 

Turn  again  to  the  sixth  and  seventh  verses,  — 

"  He  shall  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass, 

"  As  showers  that  water  the  earth  ; 

"  In  his  days  shall  the  righteous  flourish ; 

"  And  ahundance  of  peace  till  the  moon  be  no  more." 

This  reminds  us  of  the  great  contrast  between  the  char- 

acter  and  methods  of  David's  government  and  those 

of  his  son  and  successor.     In  David's  time  war  was 

1  1  Kings  iii.  9.  a  Ibid.  16-2& 


A   ROYAL   ODE  121 

the  rule  and  peace  the  exception.  The  kingdom  tri- 
umphed, and  grew  with  marvellous  rapidity,  but  it  was 
by  means  of  violent  efforts  and  fierce  struggles  with 
surrounding  tribes.  The  sword  was  continually  in 
David's  hand :  when  he  was  not  conquering  his  foreign 
enemies,  he  was  putting  down  some  civil  insurrection. 
But  the  strength  of  Solomon  lay  in  another  direction. 
Statesmanship,  the  wise  administration  of  internal  af- 
fairs, a  policy  of  alliance  with  other  princes,  —  these 
were  the  chief  means  which  he  employed  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  dominion.  In  his  days  war  was  the 
exception  and  peace  the  rule.1  There  was  abundance 
of  it.  His  very  name,  corresponding  to  the  German 
"  Friedrich,"  means  "  the  peaceful  one  ;  "  and  the  in- 
fluences of  his  throne,  descending  upon  the  people  like 
gentle  showers  upon  the  meadow  after  it  has  been 
mown,  caused  the  nation  to  flourish  almost  uncon- 
sciously, as  if  in  obedience  to  the  silent  operation  of 
natural  laws.2 

The  vast  extent  of  his  dominion  is  described  in  the 
eighth  verse.  It  stretched  from  sea  to  sea  and  from 
the  river  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  This  does  not  pro- 
fess to  define  the  literal  boundaries  of  Solomon's  em- 
pire, but  it  shows  us  how  it  reached  out  its  arms  from 
the  Mediterranean  to  the  waters  beyond  the  verge  of 
Asia,  and  made  its  power  felt  from  the  banks  of  Eu- 
phrates unto  regions  which  seemed  to  the  Jews  like  the 

1  The  two  principal  adversaries  with  whom  Solomon  had  war  were 
Hadad  the  Edomite  and  Rezon  who  had  established  himself  as  the  chief 
of  a  band  of  brigands  at  Damascus.     1  Kings  xi.  14-25. 

2  Compare  David's  words,  2  Sam.  xxiii.  4. 


122  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

ends  of  the  earth.  The  tribes  of  the  desert  recognized 
his  authority,  and  the  gigantic  foundations  of  Baalbec 
and  Tadmor  remain  to  this  day  as  memorials  of  his 
wide  and  potent  sway.1 

The  tenth  verse  reminds  us  of  the  far-reaching  in- 
ternational and  commercial  relations  which  Solomon 
established. 

"  The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the  isles  shall  bring  presents, 
"  The  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts." 

We  see  his  navies  sailing  from  the  new  seaport  which 
he  had  built  on  the  Red  Sea,  to  visit  the  mysterious 
land  of  Ophir ; 2  and  again  from  the  coast  of  the  Medi- 
terranean pushing  out  through  the  many  islands  to  the 
distant  shores  of  Spain,3  and  returning  laden  with  gold 
and  silver  and  ivory,  aloes  and  cinnamon  and  cassia, 
apes  and  peacocks,  and  all  manner  of  strange  riches. 
We  see  the  maritime  monarchs  and  the  rulers  of  se- 
cluded inland  nations  vying  with  each  other  in  secur- 
ing the  friendship  of  Israel's  king;  Hiram  of  Tyre 
sending  his  rare  woods  and  precious  metals  and  skilled 
workmen  for  the  adornment  of  the  Temple ;  4  and  the 
renowned  queen  of  Sheba  coming  in  person  to  admire 
Solomon's  wisdom  and  present  her  spicy  treasures  be- 
fore his  throne.5 

Nor  were  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  times  con- 
fined to  the  royal  household.  The  people  rejoiced  in 
overflowing  harvests.  It  seemed  as  if  the  very  seed 
which  they  scattered  had  a  blessing  on  it. 

1  2  Chron.  viii.  4-&          »  1  Kings  «.  26-28.          8  1  Kings  x.  22. 
«  1  Kings  y.  1-11.  *  1  Kings  x.  1-1& 


A  ROYAL   ODE  123 

"  There  shall  be  an  handful  of  corn  upon  the  tops  of  the  mountain ; 

"  The  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon  : 

"  And  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass  of  the  earth." 

Town  and  country  prospered  alike.  Flour  and  meat 
were  plenty.  The  population  increased.  "  Judah  and 
Israel  were  many,  as  the  sand  which  is  by  the  sea  in 
multitude,  eating  and  drinking  and  making  merry." l 

Might  not  the  closing  words  of  the  psalm  be  used 
with  truth  of  a  king  so  great  and  successful  ? 

"  His  name  shall  endure  forever ; 

"  His  name  shall  be  continued  as  long  as  the  still : 

"  And  men  shall  be  blessed  in  him  ; 

"  All  nations  shall  call  him  happy." 

So  the  mighty  Solomon  may  have  thought,  looking 
forward  to  the  perpetuity  of  his  fame  and  the  ever- 
lasting continuance  of  his  dynasty.  But  if  he  did  thus 
centre  his  pride  and  hope  upon  himself  he  was  de-. 
ceived.  The  Spirit  of  God  who  spoke  through  him 
breathed  into  his  words  a  vaster  meaning  than  he 
could  ever  fill.  No  human  name  can  boast  itself  coe- 
val with  the  sun ;  for  the  glory  declines,  the  shadow 
of  oblivion  sweeps  over  the  greatest  achievements,  and 
the  name  at  which  the  peoples  once  trembled  becomes 
like  a  dream,  a  shadow,  a  ghost  of  power.  No  human 
king  can  claim  the  allegiance  of  all  nations ;  for  the 
universal  empire  crumbles  almost  as  fast  as  it  is  built ; 
the  throne  of  Solomon  was  shaken  while  he  lived,  and 
when  he  died  in  the  dishonour  of  his  gray  hairs,  it 
fell  in  fragments  of  ruin.  There  is  but  one  person  in 
whom  such  prophecies  as  these  find  their  adequate  ful- 
filment,— but  one  person  whose  name  grows  sweeter 
1  1  Kings  iv.  20-25. 


124  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  more  potent  as  the  years  roll  by,  —  but  one  per- 
son whose  dominion  has  been  steadily  increasing  for 
eighteen  centuries  with  the  promise  of  a  world-wide 
consummation,  —  and  that  person  is  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

"  Let  the  throne  of  the  world  be  declared  vacant  to- 
morrow. No  other  name  could  be  named  that  would 
not  provoke  angry  competition.  But  when  Jesus  Christ 
is  seated  there,  there  is  none  that  has  dared  to  dispute 
his  right."1 

When  we  speak  of  the  crown  and  kingdom  of  Christ, 
it  is  difficult  to  avoid  falling  into  the  language  of  meta- 
phor, which  sounds  like  exaggeration.  For  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  Man  whom  we  exalt  and  before  whom  we 
bow  the  knee  has  never  worn  a  literal  diadem,  save  one 
of  thorns ;  has  never  been  formally  proclaimed  as  the 
monarch  of  any  province,  except  perhaps  for  the  few 
months  when  the  little  city  of  Florence  called  Him 
king;  and  has  not  even  established  His  spiritual  do- 
minion in  such  a  form  that  we  can  trace  its  boundaries 
and  measure  its  power ;  for  the  church  in  its  outward 
organization  is  divided  into  sects  and  parties,  many  of 
them  refusing  to  recognize  each  other,  and  the  largest 
of  them  all  making  much  more  of  the  supremacy  of 
the  Pope  than  of  the  headship  of  Christ. 

And  yet  it  is  true  that  He  has  a  kingdom  vaster  and 
more  glorious  than  any  visible  empire  of  the  world; 
He  has  an  influence  larger  and  more  potent  than  scep« 
tred  monarch  or  sworded  conqueror  has  ever  exercised. 
His  kingdom  is  within.  His  influence  is  the  power  of 
1  W.  Boyd  Carpenter,  Witnest  of  the  Heart  to  Christ,  p.  32. 


A   ROYAL    ODE  125 

His  teaching  to  control  men's  thoughts,  the  power  of 
His  example  to  direct  men's  lives,  the  power  of  His 
character  to  mould  men's  hearts  into  conformity  to 
Himself.  A  silent  influence,  an  unseen  kingdom,  so 
far  as  the  means  which  He  uses  to  advance  it,  and 
the  laws  by  which  He  controls  it,  are  concerned ;  but 
eloquent  and  visible  in  its  results. 

Do  we  behold  the  laws  of  nations  becoming  more 
just  and  firm  and  equitable,  recognizing  that  their  au- 
thority rests  not  upon  the  arbitrary  will  of  sovereigns, 
but  upon  the  deep  foundation  of  eternal  right,  reaching 
out  to  cover  not  only  the  relations  which  exist  between 
man  and  man,  but  also  those  wider  relations  which  exist 
between  races  and  peoples,  and  at  least  approximating 
the  lofty  ideal  of 

"  The  Parliament  of  man,  the  Federation  of  the  world  "  ? 

It  is  the  wisdom  of  King  Jesus ;  teaching  us  to  believe 
that  God  is  our  Father  and  all  men  are  brothers. 

Do  we  see  the  shapes  of  ancient  wrong  and  oppres- 
sion trembling  and  vanishing,  or  hiding  themselves  in 
dark  corners,  disguising  themselves  in  borrowed  gar- 
ments, defending  themselves  with  the  craft  and  energy 
of  despair  ?  Do  we  see  woman  lifted  from  the  dust 
and  set  in  the  place  of  household  honour  ;  and  slavery 
banished  from  civilized  lands,  crouching  like  a  hunted 
tiger  in  jungles  and  deserts ;  and  poverty  transformed 
from  a  badge  of  disgrace  into  an  appeal  for  help  ;  and 
the  instruments  of  torture,  the  cross,  the  stake,  the  fagot, 
the  rack,  the  knout,  broken  into  fragments  or  preserved 
in  museums  as  curious  relics  of  a  barbarous  past  ?  Do 
we  see  those  who  still  love  tyranny  and  practise  cruelty 


126  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

forced  to  conceal  their  purposes,  and  to  defend  their 
principles  with  desperate  expedients,  while  they  retreat 
with  sullen  steps  before  the  incoming  flood  of  light  ? 
Do  we  see  Charity  assuming  a  royal  garb  and  Com- 
passion exercising  a  princely  generosity,  hospitals  and 
asylums  rising  like  palaces,  kings  and  queens  bending 
beside  the  couches  of  the  sick  ?  It  is  the  humanity  of 
King  Jesus,  breaking  the  fetters  from  the  heart  of  the 
world,  sparing  the  poor  and  needy,  and  saving  the 
souls  of  the  needy. 

Do  we  hear  the  voices  of  hope  and  cheer  rising  on 
every  side  and  answering  from  land  to  land,  proclaim- 
ing the  promise  of  a  better  day  in  the  future  than  any 
that  have  dawned  in  the  past,  prophesying  through  all 
discouragements  and  regrets  that  the  course  of  mankind 
is  not  downward  but  upward,  acknowledging  that  when 
all  men  are  like  Christ  earth  will  be  like  heaven  ?  It 
is  the  divinity  of  King  Jesus,  manifested  in  human 
flesh,  real,  living,  and  eternal,  the  hope,  the  joy,  the 
glory  of  mankind. 

If  we  have  yielded  our  hearts  to  Him  as  monarch,  we 
know  the  sweetness  of  His  secret  reign.  If  we  have 
fixed  our  hearts  on  Him  as  God,  we  know  the  certainty 
of  His  open  triumph.  The  day  is  coming  when  all 
shadows  shall  depart  and  light  be  everywhere.  The 
day  is  coming  when  all  rebellion  shall  cease  and  peace 
be  everywhere.  The  day  is  coming  when  all  sorrow 
shall  vanish  and  joy  be  everywhere.  The  day  is  com- 
ing when  all  discord  shall  be  silent,  and  angels  leaning 
from  the  battlements  of  heaven  shall  hear  but  one  word 
encircling  earth  with  music  :  — 

"  All  nations  shall  call  him  BLESSED." 


THE  CITY  OF   IMMANUEL 

PSALM  XLVI 


THE  CITY  OF  IMMANUEL 


THIS  psalm  tells  of  the  peace  and  security  of  the  city 
of  God  in  the  midst  of  great  perils,  and  describes  its 
signal  deliverance  from  the  rage  of  the  heathen.  It 
has,  therefore,  been  used  by  the  Church  in  all  ages 
to  express  her  confidence  in  God  against  all  foes  and 
dangers.  But  this  spiritual  meaning  will  be  greatly 
enhanced,  the  reality  and  power  of  the  steadfast  faith 
and  grateful  exultation  expressed  in  these  verses  will 
impress  us  far  more  deeply,  if  we  can  trace  them  back 
to  their  point  of  contact  with  the  real  life  of  the  He- 
brew people,  and  bring  before  our  minds  the  event  in 
the  history  of  Jerusalem  which  called  forth  this  splen- 
did hymn  of  trust  and  triumph. 

It  did  not  come  out  of  the  air ;  it  was  no  vague 
poetic  utterance  of  what  the  psalmist  might  have  felt 
if  certain  things  had  happened.  It  was  born  out  of 
the  storm  and  stress  of  actual  conflict,  in  a  time  when 
the  forces  of  a  dreadful  foe  seemed  to  be  sweeping  over 
the  land  like  a  new  flood,  threatening  to  shatter  and 
submerge  even  the  mountains ;  in  a  time  when  the 
wrath  of  many  nations  was  swelling,  and  the  kingdoms 
were  moving  and  clashing  together,  and  all  human  con- 
fidence  was  shaken,  all  human  defence  seemed  vain; 


130  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

then  it  was  manifest  that  God  is  the  strength  of  Zion, 
her  very  present  help  in  trouble ;  then  the  dark  and 
dreadful  night  was  followed  by  a  calm  and  glorious 
morning,  in  which  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  were 
summoned  to  come  out  from  their  beleaguered  city 
and  behold  the  work  which  Jehovah  had  wrought  for 
them,  the  desolation  which  He  had  brought  upon  their 
enemies,  the  awful  peace  which  He  had  made  round 
about  His  holy  Tabernacle.  As  we  read  the  history  of 
the  chosen  people  we  can  see  quite  clearly  that  this 
time  must  have  been  during  the  great  Assyrian  inva- 
sion in  the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  and  this  psalm,  like  the 
seventy-sixth  and  perhaps  also  the  forty-seventh  and 
forty-eighth,  belongs  to  the  wonderful  story  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  army  of  Sennacherib.1 

The  interest  of  this  story  turns  on  the  imminent  peril 
and  the  strange  deliverance  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem. 
In  order  that  we  may  understand  it  fully,  it  will  be  nec- 
essary for  us  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  city  from  the 
death  of  Solomon  down  to  the  time  when  this  psalm 
was  written. 

While  the  mighty  son  of  David  lived,  Jerusalem 
was  the  centre  of  all  Israel;  but  when  he  fell,  his 
kingdom,  burdened  with  taxes,  relaxed  by  luxury,  and 
weakened  by  secret  intrigues,  fell  with  him  and  split 
into  two  great  fragments.2  The  larger  fragment,  con- 
sisting of  the  ten  northern  tribes,  renounced  the  au- 
thority of  David's  house,  and  set  out  upon  an  inde- 
pendent career  as  the  kingdom  of  Israel.  Its  course 
was  turbulent  and  bloody;  and  it  closed,  after  two 

*  2  Kings  xix.  *  1  Kings  rii.  1-20. 


THE   CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  131 

turies  and  a  half  of  religious  corruption  and  political 
confusion,  in  the  utter  annihilation  of  the  kingdom. 
The  lost  tribes  of  Israel  were  swept  from  the  face  of 
the  land  as  with  the  besom  of  destruction,  and  van- 
ished forever  from  the  knowledge  of  man. 

But  the  smaller  kingdom  of  Judah,  which  still  re- 
mained faithful  to  the  throne  of  David,  had  a  longer 
and  a  less  broken  history.  There  seemed  to  be  some- 
thing which  gave  a  greater  compactness  and  pertinac- 
ity, a  larger  power  of  resistance  and  endurance,  to  this 
kingdom  than  belonged  to  its  northern  rival.  For 
one  thing  it  had  the  special  promise  of  Divine  favour ; 
the  prophecy  that  the  sceptre  should  not  depart  from 
Judah,  nor  a  lawgiver  from  between  his  feet,  until 
Shiloh  should  come.1  And  though  the  Jews  may  not 
have  fully  comprehended  the  meaning  of  that  prediction, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  strengthened  their  confi- 
dence and  maintained  their  courage,  and  fastened  their 
loyalty  to  the  reigning  house.  For  it  was  along  the 
line  of  David's  family  that  they  looked  for  the  coming 
glory,  and  upon  his  seed  their  hopes  were  fixed.  This 
was  doubtless  a  great  safeguard  to  them  against  such 
internal  revolutions  and  civil  discords  as  desolated  the 
kingdom  of  Israel,  which  was  ruled  within  a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  by  no  less  than  seven  dif- 
ferent dynasties.2 

But  another  and  still  greater  advantage  which  be- 
longed to  Judah  was  the  possession  of  the  sacred  city. 
Although  she  had  been  shorn  at  one  stroke  of  three 

1  Gen.  xlix.  10. 

2  Jeroboam,  Baasha,  Omri,  Jehu,  Menahem,  Pekah,  Hosliea. 


132  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

quarters  of  the  territory  which  had  once  acknowledged 
her  sway,  Jerusalem  was  still  by  nature  and  by  Di- 
vine appointment  the  queen-city.  Her  palaces  and  for- 
tresses were  the  centre  of  national  pride ;  her  Temple, 
though  often  desecrated  and  despoiled,  was  the  visible 
symbol  of  religious  unity.  Thrice  was  she  captured 
and  pillaged,1  but  she  seemed  to  have  an  immortal 
life,  and  an  exhaustless  power  of  renewing  her  strength 
and  beauty.  The  history  of  Jerusalem  is  in  fact  the 
history  of  Judah ;  and  the  test  of  greatness  in  the  Jew- 
ish kings  is  to  be  found  in  their  relation  to  the  holy 
city  and  the  Temple  of  Jehovah.  Those  who  were  base 
and  wicked  and  incompetent,  defiled  the  city  with 
idolatries,  enervated  her  with  debauchery,  stole  her 
treasures  to  purchase  peace  from  the  heathen,  or  suf- 
fered her  to  become  a  prey  to  the  spoiler.  Those  who 
were,  at  least  by  comparison,  strong  .and  brave  and 
righteous,  rebuilt  her  shattered  walls,  restored  her  for- 
mer glories,  cleansed  and  adorned  her  great  Sanctuary, 
and  defended  her  valiantly  against  her  foes.  Chiei 
among  these  good  kings  were  Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  and 
Uzziah  ;  but  perhaps  the  best  of  them  all,  the  one  who 
came  nearest  to  the  lofty  ideal  of  the  true  ruler  of 
Israel,  was  king  Hezekiah. 

His  reign  began  amid  the  corruptions  which  had 
been  introduced  by  his  predecessors.  The  city  was 
full  of  luxury,  oppression,  and  disorder :  the  Temple 

1  First  by  Shishak,  king  of  Egypt  (2  Chron.  xii.  0) ;  then  by  the 
Philistines  and  Arabians,  who  harried  the  land  in  the  days  of  Jeho- 
ram  (2  Chron.  xxi.  16,  17) ;  then  by  Joash,  king  of  Israel  (2  Chron. 
xxr.  23,  24). 


THE  CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  183 

was  defiled  with  the  abominations  of  pagan  worship. 
But  Hezekiah,  aroused  and  converted  by  the  stern 
voice  of  the  prophet  Micah  denouncing  the  wrath  of 
God  against  these  evils,1  inaugurated  a  general  refor- 
mation and  a  new  order  of  things.  He  opened  the 
great  doors  of  the  Sanctuary  which  had  so  long  been 
closed,  and  cast  out  the  filthiness  from  the  holy  place.2 
He  broke  in  pieces  the  figure  of  the  brazen  serpent 
which  had  become  an  object  of  idolatrous  worship, 
and  overthrew  the  altars  of  false  gods.3  He  renewed 
the  beautiful  worship  of  the  Temple  according  to  the 
commandment  of  David,  and  filled  the  courts  once 
more  with  the  music  of  sacred  psalms.4  He  revived 
the  celebration  of  the  Passover,  and  caused  it  to 
be  kept  with  a  solemnity  which  had  been  unknown 
since  the  days  of  Joshua.5  In  all  things  he  showed  his 
reverence  for  the  glorious  past  and  his  desire  to  win 
back  the  favour  which  God  had  once  shown  unto  His 
chosen  city.  Nor  did  God  refuse  his  service,  for  the 
Divine  blessing  was  manifested  upon  the  king,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  a  new  era  of  prosperity  and  peace  were 
dawning  upon  Mount  Zion.6 

But  now,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  joy  and  hope,  a 
great  danger  loomed  upon  the  horizon,  and,  swiftly  as 
a  storm-cloud,  spread  itself  across  the  sky.  The  mighty 
and  mysterious  kingdom  of  Assyria,  which  had  sprung 
up  as  if  by  magic  in  the  region  of  the  great  rivers  Eu- 
phrates and  Tigris  and  swept  down  in  its  resistless 
march  the  kingdoms  of  Syria  and  Israel,  began  to 

1  Jer.  xxvi.  18,  19.       2  2  Chron.  xxix.  3,  15,  16.      3  2  Kings  xviii.  4. 
*  2  Chron.  xxix.  30.      5  2  Chron.  xxx.  1-5.  •  Ibid.  20,  21. 


134  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

threaten  the  kingdom  of  Judah.  A  new  monarch 
reigned  at  Nineveh,  —  Sennacherib,  whose  name  may 
still  be  read  on  the  Assyrian  tablets  as  "  the  great,  the 
powerful  king,  .  .  .  the  favourite  of  the  gods,  the  ob- 
server of  sworn  faith,  the  noble  hero,  the  strong  war- 
rior, the  first  of  kings,  the  punisher  of  unbelievers,  the 
destroyer  of  wicked  men."  l  The  gigantic  pride  which 
is  expressed  in  such  a  signature  as  this  was  not  to  be 
satisfied  with  any  limits  to  its  dominion.  Sennacherib 
could  not  rest  content  until  he  had  met  and  conquered 
the  king  of  Egypt,  the  only  rival  who  could  oppose  him 
on  anything  like  equal  terms.  But  right  in  his  pathway 
lay  the  kingdom  of  Judah,  small  but  strong,  the  last 
obstacle  between  him  and  his  great  ambition.  This  also 
must  be  swept  away,  must  be  either  destroyed,  or  sub- 
jugated and  rendered  harmless,  in  order  that  he  might 
continue  his  victorious  march  towards  the  Nile-palaces 
without  leaving  an  enemy  in  his  rear.  And  so  we  be- 
hold the  fierce  host  of  invaders,  rushing  down  from 
the  north,  "  their  arrows  sharp,  their  bows  bent,  their 
horses'  hoofs  like  flint,  and  their  chariots  like  a  whirl- 
wind," 2  roaring  like  the  waves  of  the  sea  in  the  incred- 
ible swiftness  of  their  march,  overthrowing  city  after 
city,  filling  the  land  with  sudden  darkness,  rushing  on- 
ward like  a  flood  to  surround  and  submerge  the  moun- 
tain of  Zion  and  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  At  first  Heze- 
kiah  was  brave  and  refused  to  submit.8  But  at  length 
his  courage  gave  way  and  he  paid  tribute  to  the  con- 
queror.4 The  record  of  his  submission  was  written  by 

1  Rawlinson,  Ancient  Monarchies,  vol.  ii.  p.  450. 

2  Is.  v.  26-30,          •  2  Chron.  xxxii.  1-8.          4  2  Kings  xviii.  14. 


THE   CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  135 

Sennacherib  in  Nineveh,  and  may  be  read  to  this  day  in 
the  strange  Assyrian  characters.  Thus  it  runs  :  "  And 
because  Hezekiah,  king  of  Judah,  would  not  submit  to 
my  yoke,  I  came  up  against  him  and  by  force  of  arms 
I  took  forty-six  of  his  fenced  cities  .  .  .  and  carried  off 
as  spoils  200,150  people.  .  .  .  And  Hezekiah  himself, 
I  shut  up  in  Jerusalem,  like  a  bird  in  a  cage,  building 
towers  round  the  city  to  hem  him  in,  and  raising  banks 
of  earth  against  the  gate  to  prevent  his  escape.  Then 
upon  this  Hezekiah  there  fell  the  fear  of  the  power  of 
my  arms,  and  he  sent  out  to  me  the  chiefs  and  the  el- 
ders of  Jerusalem  with  thirty  talents  of  gold  and  eight 
hundred  talents  of  silver  and  divers  treasures  and  rich 
and  immense  booty.  All  these  things  were  brought  to 
me  at  Nineveh,  Hezekiah  having  sent  them  by  way  of 
tribute,  and  as  a  token  of  submission  to  my  power."  1 

But  a  purchased  peace  is  never  of  long  endurance, 
and  this  was  not  the  way  that  God  had  appointed  to 
deliver  Jerusalem  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Assyrians. 
Hezekiah  soon  repented  of  his  surrender,  displaced  the 
counsellor  who  had  advised  him  to  this  course,  and  as- 
serted his  independence  against  the  invader.2  Startled 
by  the  news  that  an  alliance  was  proposed  between 
Judah  and  Egypt,  or  perhaps  seized  with  a  desire  to 
win  yet  greater  spoils  from  the  city  which  had  already 
yielded  him  such  abundant  treasure,  Sennacherib  sent 
back  a  mighty  army  against  Jerusalem  under  command 
of  the  Tartan  or  general  of  the  host,  to  make  an  end  of 
all  resistance.3 

1  Rawlinson,  vol.  ii.  p.  435. 

2  Is.  rrii.  15-19 ;  2  Kings  xvii.  17  ff.  8  2  Kings  xix.  9  ff. 


136  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Insolently  advancing  to  the  very  walls,  and  speaking 
in  the  Jews  language  so  that  all  the  people  could  un- 
derstand, Sennacherib's  heralds  boasted  of  their  mas- 
ter's terrible  prowess,  taunted  Hezekiah  with  his  help- 
lessness, and  summoned  the  city,  with  alternate  threats 
of  destruction  and  promises  of  mercy,  to  submit  to  its 
fate.  It  was  a  day  of  trouble  and  rebuke  and  blasphemy. 
Hezekiah  rent  his  clothes  and  covered  himself  with 
sackcloth,  and  went  into  the  house  of  the  Lord.  He 
was  ill  bestead,  knew  not  what  should  be  done,  was 
driven  almost  into  despair.  It  was  vain  for  the  en- 
feebled garrison  to  think  of  resistance.  There  was  no 
hope  in  man  ;  he  could  only  lay  the  matter  before  God, 
beseeching  Him  to  rebuke  the  invader  and  turn  back 
the  destruction.  Then  came  the  prophet  Isaiah,  to  tell 
the  king  that  his  prayer  against  Sennacherib  had  been 
heard.  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  concerning  the  king  of 
Assyria,  He  shall  not  come  into  this  city,  nor  shoot  an 
arrow  there,  nor  come  before  it  with  shield,  nor  cast  a 
bank  against  it.  By  the  way  that  he  came,  by  the  same 
shall  he  return.  .  .  .  For  I  will  defend  this  city  to  save 
it  for  mine  own  sake  and  for  my  servant  David's 
sake."  i 

Night  descended  upon  the  world,  wrapping  the  be- 
leaguered city  and  the  invading  host  together  in  its 
impenetrable  shadows.  Little  sleep  was  there  in  the 
houses  of  Jerusalem,  where  the  people  were  trembling, 
praying,  waiting  for  their  deliverance  :  but  in  the  camp 
of  the  Assyrians,  confident  of  victory,  dreaming  per- 
haps of  the  morrow's  plunder,  there  was  sleep  enough, 

i  2  Kings  xix.  32-34 ;  Is.  miii.  20-24. 


THE  CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  137 

sleep  sinking  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  silent  gulfs, 
sleep  prolonging  itself  far  beyond  the  dawn,  the  mo- 
tionless and  dreamless  sleep  that  knows  no  waking. 
For  the  wind  of  a  mysterious  pestilence  passed  over  the 
encampment  in  the  darkness  and  smote  a  hundred  and 
eighty-five  thousand  men.1  The  bow  was  broken,  the 
chariot  was  unyoked,  the  horse  and  his  rider  were  still 
together.  When  the  sun  rose  and  looked  upon  the 
place  where  yesterday  had  been  an  irresistible  army, 
what  a  sight  was  revealed  ! 

"  Like  the  leaves  of  the  forest  when  Autumn  hath  blown, 
' '  That  host  on  the  morrow  lay  withered  and  strown ; 
"  For  the  Angel  of  Death  spread  his  wings  on  the  blast, 
"  And  breathed  in  the  face  of  the  foe  as  he  passed : 

"And  the  eyes  of  the  sleepers  waxed  deadly  and  chill, 

11  And  their  hearts  but  once  heaved  and  forever  grew  still  I 

"  And  there  lay  the  steed  with  his  nostril  all  wide, 

"  Though  through  it  there  rolled  not  the  breath  of  his  pride: 

"  And  the  tents  were  all  silent,  the  banners  alone, 
"  The  lances  unlifted,  the  trumpets  unblown; 
"  And  the  might  of  the  Gentile,  unsmote  by  the  sword, 
"  Hath  melted  like  snow  in  the  glance  of  the  Lord."  2 

This  is  the  story  of  the  forty-sixth  psalm.  Read  it 
again  in  the  light  of  this  history  and  see  what  a  new 
and  deep  meaning  shines  from  all  its  verses.  What 
an  accent  of  immediate  confidence  falls  upon  the  words 
"  a  very  present  help  in  trouble.''  How  the  clash  of 
arms  and  the  murmur  of  a  great  host  mingles  with  the 
roaring  waters  in  the  third  verse.  And  how  sweet  and 
gentle  is  the  flow  of  the  river  of  peace  within  the  city, 

1  2  Kings  xix.  35.  2  Byron,  Hebrew  Melodies. 


138  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

by  contrast  with  that  turbulent  sea.  How  suddenly 
the  voice  of  God  pierces  the  tumult  of  His  enemies. 
How  deep  and  dreadful  is  the  silence  that  follows.  As 
we  look  upon  the  destruction  which  He  has  wrought, 
it  seems  as  if  every  heart  must  pause  and  listen  while 
He  says :  — 

"  Be  still  and  know  that  I  am  God ; 
"  I  will  be  exalted  among  the  nations, 
"  I  will  be  exalted  in  the  earth." 

But  has  this  psalm  no  application  to  us  in  our  daily 
trials  and  perils  ?  Has  it  no  connection  with  the  pres- 
ent conflicts  of  the  Church  ?  Must  we  simply  go  back 
to  Sennacherib  and  exhaust  all  its  significance  upon 
his  downfall  ?  Not  so  thought  the  people  of  Moscow, 
who  made  this  psalm  their  memorial  song  of  triumph 
for  that  night  on  which  twenty  thousand  of  Napoleon's 
horses  perished  by  frost  and  the  French  army  was 
driven  back  by  an  unseen  hand  into  its  disastrous  re- 
treat. Not  so  thought  John  Wesley,  who  preached 
from  this  psalm  when  an  earthquake  shock  was  felt  in 
London  in  the  last  century.  Not  so  thought  good 
Martin  Luther  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Reformation, 
when  he  used  to  say  to  his  friend  Melanchthon,  "  Come, 
Philip,  let  us  sing  the  forty-sixth  psalm :  " 

"  Ein'  feste  Burg  ist  unser  Gott." 

I  wonder  how  often,  in  how  many  languages,  in 
what  strange  regions  of  the  earth,  under  what  peculiar 
circumstances  of  peril  and  anxiety,  this  very  thought 
has  brought  comfort  and  courage  to  the  troubled  soul. 
Against  all  enemies  it  holds  good,  for  there  is  none  so 
strong  as  God.  Amid  all  dangers  it  holds  true,  for 
He  is  always  near  us  and  ready  to  help  us. 


THE  CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  139 

"  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  with  us  ; 
"  The  God  of  Jacob  is  our  refuge." 

This  is  the  keyword  of  the  psalm :  the  refrain  which  is 
fcwice  repeated,  as  if  to  make  sure  of  its  remembrance. 
The  Talmud  says  "  that  this  verse  should  never  depart 
from  the  mouth  of  an  Israelite."  And  if  we  belong  to 
the  true  children  of  Abraham,  the  followers  of  God  in 
the  spirit  of  faith,  we  also  ought  to  bind  it  upon  our 
hearts  as  a  talisman  of  eternal  security. 

What  does  it  mean  ?  Surely  something  vastly  more 
precious  than  the  abstract  truth  of  the  Divine  Om- 
nipresence, the  vague  and  mysterious  doctrine  of  an 
infinite  Deity  whose  formless  essence  fills  all  space. 
That  is  a  philosophical  theory,  a  theological  dogma 
if  you  will ;  but  I  doubt  whether  it  has  ever  brought 
comfort  and  strength  to  a  human  soul,  whether  it  has 
ever  entered  into  personal  experience  as  one  of  the 
living  realities  of  religion.  The  psalmist  was  thinking 
of  something  very  different  when  he  wrote  this  verse ; 
and  all  true  believers  who  have  appropriated  and  re- 
peated it  have  done  so  with  a  sense  of  its  deeper  and 
more  intimate  meaning.  Not  that  God  is  everywhere, 
but  that  He  is  here  ;  not  that  He  is  diffused,  but  that 
He  is  manifested  in  a  special  place  and  manner ;  not 
that  He  beholds  and  orders  all  things,  but  that  His 
eyes  are  upon  them  that  fear  Him  and  His  hand  covers 
them  continually. 

God  is  present  with  His  own  people  in  a  sense  which 
belongs  to  them  alone.  He  is  present  by  the  revela- 
tions of  His  glory.  They  have  learned  to  see  His  face 
and  hear  His  voice  in  the  world,  so  that  the  stars, 


140  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

which  to  other  men  are  silent,  speak  of  His  wisdom  to 
every  faithful  heart,  and  the  sea  tells  of  His  power, 
and  the  fruits  and  flowers  of  earth  seem  to  those  who 
love  Him  as  if  they  were  offered  by  His  bountiful 
hands. 

He  is  present,  also,  by  the  operations  of  His  grace. 
The  motions  of  His  Spirit  within  the  heart  are  the 
source  of  all  holy  thoughts  and  desires.  He  answers 
in  secret  the  prayers  of  those  who  seek  Him,  lifting 
them  up  above  themselves,  assuring  them  of  the  for- 
giveness of  their  sins,  making  His  word  shine  for  them 
with  a  significance  which  the  unbeliever  cannot  know, 
filling  the  services  of  the  Church  and  the  exercises  of 
private  devotion  with  a  reality  which  is  the  pledge  and 
proof  of  His  presence.  It  is  like  the  touch  of  His 
hand,  like  the  warmth  of  a  great  Heart  beating  against 
our  own. 

He  is  present,  also,  in  the  dealings  of  His  provi- 
dence. If  we  trust  Him,  He  is  guiding  us  by  His 
counsel,  He  is  defending  us  by  His  might,  He  is  inter- 
posing to  rescue  us  from  our  enemies.  We  are  like 
ships  sailing  under  the  convoy  of  an  invisible  fleet; 
like  pilgrims  marching  with  an  escort  of  countless 
armies  ;  like  a  city  guarded  by  unseen  hosts  of  angels. 
God  is  not  only  on  the  side  of  His  church  and  His 
people :  He  is  at  their  side.  He  goes  with  them  as 
the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  went  with  the  children  of 
Israel.  Therefore  they  can  always  say  with  Paul,  con* 
fident  of  deliverance  and  victory,  "  If  God  be  for  us, 
who  can  be  against  us  ?  "  l 

1  Rom.  viii.  31. 


THE   CITY  OF  IMMANUEL  141 

Now  we  surely  can  see  that  this  is  true  of  the  Church 
at  large  ;  we  can  trace  the  history  of  her  preservation 
in  the  midst  of  perils  and  persecutions,  and  recognize 
in  her  survival  and  triumph  over  all  foes  the  continu- 
ance of  that  miraculous  interposition  which  God  dis- 
played in  behalf  of  Jerusalem  against  the  army  of 
Sennacherib.  But  in  regard  to  the  individual  Chris- 
tian it  often  seems  more  difficult  to  discern  and  to  be- 
lieve the  truth.  Why  is  it  that  a  man  who  trusts  in 
God  is  ever  killed  ?  Why  does  the  Christian  soldier 
fall  in  battle,  and  the  Christian  sailor  sink  in  the 
storm  ?  Why  does  not  the  providence  of  God  always 
interfere  to  protect  His  people  from  disaster  and 
death  ? 

Well,  first  of  all,  we  must  remember  that,  to  the  true 
Christian,  death  is  no  disaster,  no  defeat,  but  a  victory. 
For  the  Church  to  fall,  for  the  cause  of  truth  to  be 
overthrown,  would  indeed  be  a  calamity  of  such  a  na- 
ture as  to  prove  that  God  is  either  impotent  or  absent. 
But  for  you  and  me  to  fall  only  shows  that  God  has 
done  serving  Himself  with  us  on  earth  and  is  ready  to 
receive  us  to  our  reward  in  heaven.  He  is  not  desert- 
ing us,  He  is  not  suffering  our  foes  to  destroy  us :  He 
is  delivering  and  blessing  us,  when  He  calls  from  the 
church  militant  to  the  church  triumphant.  So  that  in 
our  departure  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us ;  and  then 
more  truly  than  ever  before  the  God  of  Jacob  becomes 
our  refuge,  into  whose  bosom  we  fly  for  everlasting 
peace. 

But  we  must  remember  also  that  even  this  outward 
semblance  of  defeat,  this  call  to  lay  down  our  arms 


142  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  leave  the  field,  will  never  come  to  us  until  our 
appointed  time  has  come  and  we  have  finished  the  task 
which  He  has  allotted  to  us.  "  Every  man  is  immortal 
until  his  work  is  done."  So  long  as  God  has  anything 
for  us  to  do  in  the  world  He  will  take  care  of  us  and 
deliver  us  from  danger.  We  may  lay  aside  all  anxiety 
and  fear.  We  may  rejoice  in  the  stream  of  inward 
peace  which  makes  glad  the  city  of  God.  We  may 
go  forth  to  our  labours  and  our  conflicts  with  good 
courage  and  a  cheerful  heart.  Be  sure  that  nothing 
can  harm  you  while  you  are  with  Him. 

"Should  earth  and  hell  with  malice  burn, 
"  Still  shalt  thou  go  and  still  return, 
"  Safe  in  the  Lord  ;  His  heavenly  care 
"  Defends  thy  life  from  every  snare. 

"  On  thee  foul  spirits  have  no  power ; 

"  And  in  thy  last  departing  hour, 

"  Angels  that  trace  the  airy  road 

"  Shall  bear  thee  homeward  to  thy  God." 


XI 

THE  SCHOOL   OF   DISAPPOINTMENT 

PSALM  XXXI 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  DISAPPOINTMENT 


THE  writer  of  this  psalm  was  surrounded  by  dan- 
gers ;  he  was  the  subject  of  bitter  slanders ;  his  friends 
had  deserted  him  and  his  neighbours  were  afraid  to  be 
seen  in  his  company;  plots  were  formed  against  him 
and  he  was  threatened  with  violent  death;  he  was 
thrust  into  obscurity  and  forgotten  as  a  dead  man  out 
of  mind  ;  his  plans  were  shattered  like  a  broken  vessel 
and  his  strength  was  wasted  in  vain  efforts ;  his  life,  in 
its  visible  results,  -was  a  failure  and  a  disappointment. 
But  his  confidence  in  God  remained  unshaken,  and 
while  he  submitted  with  resignation  to  his  fate,  he 
held  fast,  with  inflexible  firmness,  to  his  principles,  his 
resolutions,  his  faith. 

Now  there  is  no  man  in  the  Hebrew  history  to  whom 
this  description  applies  so  well  as  it  does  to  the  prophet 
Jeremiah,  of  whom  it  has  been  said  that  "  his  ministry 
may  be  summed  up  in  three  words,  good  hope,  labour, 
disappointment."  1 

When  we  come  to  examine  the  style  and  language 
of  the  psalm  more  closely,  we  find  many  points  of  con- 
nection with  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah.  The  "  gentle 

1  J.  H.  Newman,  Parochial  and  Plain  Sermons:  Selection  for  the 
Seasons,  p.  442. 


146  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

elegiac  spirit  and  the  quick  transitions  from  suffering 
to  consolation  "  are  characteristic  of  his  work.  The 
phrase  "  For  I  have  heard  the  defaming  of  many, 
terror  on  every  side,"  in  verse  13,  is  repeated  in  Jer. 
xx.  10.  The  "  broken  vessel  "is  an  image  which  re- 
curs in  Jer.  xxii.  28  ;  xlviii.  38.  The  ninth  verse  re- 
minds us  of  Lamentations  i.  20  ;  the  tenth  verse,  of 
Jer.  xx.  18 ;  the  seventeenth  verse,  of  Jer.  xvii.  18. 
We  shall  therefore  be  justified,  in  this  case,  in  correct- 
ing the  testimony  of  the  ancient  scribe  who  wrote  the 
title,  and  reading  this  poem  in  the  light  of  the  story  of 
Jeremiah.1 

That  story  is  full  of  the  deepest  tragic  interest. 
Jeremiah  is  the  central  figure  in  the  closing  scenes  of 
the  kingdom  of  Judah.  About  his  person  the  confused 
conflicts  of  that  melancholy  drama  raged  most  fiercely. 
And  as  we  follow  him  through  his  troubled  life  we  are 
brought  into  contact  with  the  great  political  and  re- 
ligious questions  of  the  age  ;  we  feel  on  every  side  the 
pressure  of  those  contending  forces  amid  whose  furious 
warfare  the  city  of  Jerusalem  and  the  Temple  of 
Jehovah  sank  at  last  in  dreadful  ruin. 

Manasseh,  who  succeeded  Hezekiah  on  the  throne  of 
Judah,  was  a  bad  ruler  and  a  worse  man.2  He  made 
alliance  with  the  king  of  Egypt,  thereby  exposing  his 
kingdom  to  the  wrath  of  its  powerful  enemies  on  the 
north  and  east.  And  he  restored  the  abominations  of 
paganism,  filling  the  land  with  the  fiery  worship  of 
Moloch  and  the  licentious  rites  of  Astarte,  desecrating 
the  Temple,  and  slaughtering  the  prophets  so  that 

1  So  Ewald  and  Ilitzig.  2  2  King*  xzi.  2. 


THE  SCHOOL   OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       147 

Jerusalem  was  stained  from  end  to  end  with  their 
blood.1  His  reign  of  fifty-five  years  was  a  relapse 
into  absolute  heathenism,  a  period  of  general  corrup- 
tion and  violent  reaction  like  that  which  was  inaugu- 
rated in  the  Roman  empire  under  Julian  the  Apostate. 
The  effect  of  it  was  the  complete  destruction  of  the 
moral  stamina  of  the  nation  and  its  preparation  for  an 
inevitable  downfall.  But  before  that  final  calamity 
arrived  there  was  a  brief  period  of  apparent  reforma- 
tion, a  bright  gleam  of  hope  in  the  darkened  land. 
Josiah,  the  grandson  of  Manasseh,  was  one  of  the  few 
kings  of  Judah  who  feared  the  Lord  and  did  that 
which  was  right  in  His  sight.2  Following  the  example 
of  his  great-grandfather  Hezekiah,  he  purged  Jerusa- 
lem of  her  idolatries,  restored  the  splendours  of  the 
Temple,  and  reestablished  the  worship  of  Jehovah  as 
the  religion  of  the  land.  But,  most  important  of  all 
his  deeds,  he  discovered  the  Book  of  the  Law  of  God 
under  the  rubbish  which  had  accumulated  in  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  caused  it  to  be  read  in  public  before  a 
solemn  assembly  of  the  people,  making  them  renew 
their  covenant  with  God  in  the  very  words  of  the 
sacred  record  which  had  been  so  long  lost  and  for- 
gotten.3 It  seemed  as  if  a  new  era  of  righteousness 
and  peace  and  prosperity  were  about  to  begin  under 
this  pious  and  zealous  king  Josiah. 

But  the  reformation,  admirable  in  itself,  came  too 
late.  The  author  of  the  Book  of  Kings,  in  describ- 
ing the  good  deeds  of  Josiah,  adds :  "  Nevertheless  the 

1  2  Kings  xxi.  16.  8  2  Chron.  xxriv.  2. 

8  2  Kings spdi.  8-10;  mil  1-3. 


148  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Lord  turned  not  from  the  fierceness  of  his  wrath 
wherewith  his  anger  had  been  kindled  against  Ju- 
dah."  l  And  this  means  that  the  nation  was  beyond 
salvation.  The  foundation  had  been  too  deeply  under- 
mined ever  to  be  restored.  The  opportunity  had  passed 
long  ago,  and  passed  unheeded.  There  is  a  time  when 
repentance  is  vain ;  when  reformation  may  delay,  but 
cannot  avert,  the  punishment  of  former  sins.  And 
such  a  time  had  come  to  Judah.  Her  doom  was  sealed. 
Her  efforts  to  maintain  herself,  to  regain  her  ancient 
position,  were  but  the  final  struggles  of  the  swimmer 
who  has  been  drifted  beyond  the  reach  of  safety,  and 
who  lifts  himself  with  the  strength  of  desperation 
above  the  waves  which  must  finally  engulf  him.  The 
fate  of  Jerusalem  was  destruction.  The  instrument 
by  which  it  was  to  be  accomplished,  the  weapon  of 
destiny,  was  in  God's  hand.  All  that  was  left  for  the 
ill-fated  city  was  to  submit  and  perish. 

Now  the  one  man  to  whom  this  was  revealed  was  the 
prophet  Jeremiah.  Born  of  a  noble  family,  endowed 
with  the  gifts  of  the  prophetic  and  priestly  offices,  he 
was  called  in  his  early  youth,  in  the  thirteenth  year  of 
Josiah's  promising  reign,  to  be  the  destroyer  of  dawn- 
ing hopes,  the  bearer  of  evil  tidings,  the  messenger 
of  sure-coming  doom.2  By  nature  compassionate  and 
tender-hearted,  by  inheritance  allied  to  all  that  was 
noblest  and  strongest  in  the  nation,  by  conviction  in 
heartiest  sympathy  with  all  the  efforts  of  the  reformers, 
his  melancholy  mission  was  to  proclaim  that  all  those 
efforts  would  be  unavailing,  that  all  the  better  elements 
*  2  Kings  xxiii.  20.  *  Jer.  i.  1-2, 


THE  SCHOOL   OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       149 

would  be  powerless  to  preserve  the  national  life,  and 
that  the  bright  expectations  which  had  been  kindled 
in  the  heart  of  the  people  must  vanish  in  the  gloom  of 
the.  onward-sweeping  night. 

The  young  prophet  rebelled  against  this  mission. 
He  sought  to  evade  it;  prayed  God  to  release  him 
from  the  task  ;  pleaded  his  ignorance,  his  unfitness, 
the  weakness  of  his  heart.1  But  all  in  vain.  The 
hand  of  Divine  compulsion  was  upon  him  ;  and  whether 
he  was  willing  or  not  he  must  fulfil  his  bitter  duty.  It 
separated  him  from  the  aspirations  of  his  age ;  made 
him  lonely,  wretched,  unpopular,  persecuted  ;  he  was 
the  best-hated  man  in  Jerusalem.  But  in  spite  of  this 
he  must  be  true  to  truth  ;  he  must  declare  the  decree 
of  God ;  he  must  unveil  the  future  of  his  country  even 
though  his  heart  was  breaking  while  he  spoke  the 
heavy  words. 

Every  age  has  had  its  Jeremiahs,  its  warning  voices 
uplifted  to  contradict  the  delusions  of  ill-founded  hope, 
its  prophecies  of  peril  in  the  midst  of  apparent  pros- 
perity, its  vaticinations  of  punishment  in  the  face  of 
over-confident  pride.  Cassandra  on  the  wall  of  windy 
Troy,  Dante  flying  from  ill-counselled  Florence,  Ten- 
nyson picturing  the  shame  and  danger  of  self-con- 
tented England,2  —  these  are  the  prophets  whom  their 
own  contemporaries  revile  as  pessimists,  but  whom  later 
times  revere  and  honour  as  the  faithful  watchmen,  the 
voices  that  speak  truth  even  through  their  own  tears. 

There  were  two  points  against  which  the  prophecies 
of  Jeremiah  were  especially  directed.  First  was  the 
1  Jer.  i.  6.  2  Locksley  Hall,  Sixty  Years  After. 


150  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

notion  that  this  reformation  which  had  been  begun 
was  thorough,  and  sufficient  to  avert  the  coming  evil. 
It  was  indeed  only  a  surface  change ;  the  heart  of  the 
people  was  still  corrupt;  prophets  and  priests  were 
banded  together  in  an  alliance  of  hypocrisy ;  for  "  the 
prophets  prophesied  falsely  and  the  priests  bore  rule 
by  their  means  ;  and  the  people  loved  to  have  it  so." l 

They  had  come  to  trust  in  their  renovated  Temple 
and  their  restored  Ark  as  a  sort  of  magical  protection 
against  harm.  They  used  the  name  of  Jehovah  as  an 
incantation,  and  repeated  the  words  of  the  newly-dis- 
covered Law  as  if  they  were  nothing  more  than  the 
empty  phrases  of  a  charm.2  Against  all  this  Jeremiah 
declared  that  the  Temple  should  be  no  greater  security 
to  them  than  the  ancient  sanctuary  of  Shiloh  which 
had  perished  long  ago  ; 3  that  the  external  law  could 
not  save  them,  but  there  must  be  a  new  spiritual  cove- 
nant written  on  their  hearts.4  In  brief,  he  taught 
them  that  the  guilt  of  the  nation  could  not  be  purged, 
nor  its  diseases  healed  by  any  reform  of  ritual  or  doc- 
trine. There  must  be  an  inward,  spiritual  change,  and 
this  must  be  wrought,  by  God's  appointment,  in  the 
fiery  furnace  of  affliction. 

The  second  notion  against  which  Jeremiah  prophe- 
sied was  the  popular  theory  that  the  nation  was  to  be 
delivered  from  the  dangers  which  threatened  it  by  the 
help  of  the  king  of  Egypt.  It  has  been  well  said  that 
the  kingdom  of  Judah  at  this  time  was  like  a  trem- 
bling fugitive  between  two  fierce  wild  beasts.  On  the 

1  Jer.  v.  31.  2  Jer.  xxiii.  30-40. 

»  Jer.  vii.  12-15.  «  Jer.  xxri.  33,  34. 


THE  SCHOOL   OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       151 

south  was  Pharaoh-Necho,  who  had  restored  and  en- 
larged the  powers  of  that  great  empire  which  was 
older  than  history  and  strong  with  the  might  of  cen- 
turies. On  the  north  was  Nabopolassar,  who  had 
raised  the  new  empire  of  Babylonia  on  the  ruins  of 
Assyria  and  created  a  conquering  army  which  was  the 
terror  of  the  world.  Whichever  way  Judah  turned 
her  face,  destruction  menaced  her,  as  these  two  mighty 
adversaries  moved  with  relentless  hatred  to  meet  each 
other  in  deadly  conflict.  Independence  was  impos- 
sible. To  remain  neutral  was  to  incur  the  enmity  of 
both  and  to  be  crushed  to  death  between  them.  The 
only  hope  of  safety  lay  in  practical  friendship  with 
one  or  the  other  of  the  great  rivals.  The  strong  feel- 
ing in  favour  of  an  alliance  with  Egypt  had  been 
deepened  almost  into  a  national  tradition  by  the  pol- 
icy of  Manasseh.  But  the  prophets  had  always  pro- 
tested against  it  as  a  source  of  weakness  rather  than 
of  strength,  and  Josiah,  probably  influenced  by  the 
warnings  of  Jeremiah,  broke  loose  from  the  entangle- 
ment and  arrayed  himself  against  Egypt.1  His  death 
in  battle  was  regarded  as  a  national  calamity  and  was 
followed  by  an  intense  reaction.  The  friendship  of  the 
great  Pharaoh  seemed  to  be  the  only  hope  of  Judah. 
All  who  ventured  to  oppose  it  were  hated,  reviled, 
persecuted,  as  traitors  to  their  country.  But  Jeremiah 
stood  faithful  to  his  prophetic  trust  in  the  face  of  scorn 
and  danger.  It  had  been  revealed  to  him  that  this 
new  empire  of  Babylon  was  destined  to  overthrow  all 
its  rivals,  that  this  new  and  mighty  king  Nebuchad- 

1  2  Cliron.  xxxv.  10-25. 


152  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

nezzar  was  the  scourge  of  God  to  punish  the  nations, 
Judah  among  the  number.  Therefore  Jeremiah  cried 
out  earnestly  against  the  Egyptian  alliance,  and  coun- 
selled submission  to  Babylon  as  the  only  course  of 
safety.1  He  was  mocked  and  despised  for  his  advice. 
His  own  family  cast  him  off,  his  friends  forsook  him, 
the  people  sought  to  slay  him.  The  king  Jehoiakim 
scorned  his  warnings,  and  cast  the  roll  on  which  they 
were  written  into  the  fire.2  Through  the  successive 
reigns  of  Jehoahaz,  Jehoiachin,  and  Zedekiah,  the 
prophet  repeated  his  expostulations,  his  entreaties. 
The  burden  of  his  cry  was  "  Submit  to  Babylon,  bow 
your  necks  to  the  inevitable  yoke,  acknowledge  the  de- 
cree of  God,  spare  the  fruitless  struggle,  the  vain  re- 
volt." But  his  only  reward  was  obloquy  and  persecu- 
tion. He  was  threatened,  beaten,  cast  into  prison.3 
His  life  became  a  long,  bitter  martyrdom.  And  at 
last  he  saw  the  evil  which  he  had  predicted  descend 
upon  the  doomed  city.  He  saw  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem piled  with  carcasses  and  running  with  blood, 
the  royal  family  led  in  chains  into  captivity,  the  hea- 
then host  rushing  in  to  defile  the  sanctuary,  the  bodies 
of  the  buried  kings  torn  from  their  sepulchres,  the 
fierce  flames  leaping  from  palace  and  dwelling-house 
and  Temple,  the  ancient  enemies  of  Judah,  —  Ammon- 
ite, Moabite,  Philistine,  Edomite,  —  clapping  their 
hands  over  her  downfall  and  joining  in  the  slaughter 
of  her  fugitives,  —  while  Zion,  the  proud,  the  beauti- 
ful, lay  desolate  and  naked,  a  prey  for  vultures  and 

*  Jer.  xxvii.  1-11.  a  Jer.  xxxvi.  21-28. 

»  Jer.  xx.  2 ;  xxxvii.  15-21 ;  xxxviii.  6. 


THE  SCHOOL   OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       153 

jackals.1  Thus  the  prophet  beheld  the  fulfilment  of 
the  warnings  which  it  had  broken  his  heart  to  utter ; 
and  this  is  the  story  of  Jeremiah. 

Turn  now  to  the  psalm  which  we  have  connected 
with  this  story  and  take  from  it  three  expressions 
which  will  give  us  the  spirit  of  the  whole  composi- 
tion. 

1.  The  first  is  from  the  thirteenth  verse :  — 

"  Fear  was  on  every  side." 

This  is  a  phrase  which  was  almost  proverbial  with 
Jeremiah.  It  occurs  no  less  than  six  times  in  his  writ- 
ings. And  it  graphically  describes  not  only  his  out- 
ward circumstances,  but  also  his  inward  conflict.  For 
Jeremiah  was  not  naturally  a  fearless  man.  It  was  not 
easy  for  him  to  stand  out  alone  against  his  people  and 
fulfil  his  gloomy  and  perilous  mission.  He  shrank 
with  trembling  from  the  task.  But  so  much  the 
greater  appears  his  courage.  For  he  is  not  the  bravest 
man  who  knows  no  fear ;  but  he  who  conquers  his  ter- 
rors and  does  his  duty  is  the  true  hero. 

2.  The  second  phrase  is  in  the  fifteenth  verse  :  — 

"  My  times  are  in  thy  hand." 

In  this  we  see  an  expression  of  the  prophet's  entire 
submission  to  the  will  of  God.  He  feels  that  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  his  life,  its  joys  and  its  sorrows,  its  suc- 
cesses and  its  failures,  its  consolations  and  its  disap- 
pointments, are  absolutely  at  the  Divine  disposal.  Not 
only  the  to-morrow-time  which  can  be  foreseen  to  a 
certain  extent  and  probably  predicted,  not  only  the 
eternity-time  of  which  faith  gives  assurance  that  it 

1  Jer.  xxxix. ;  Ezek.  ix. ;  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  15-21 ;  Ezek.  xxv.  6,  8,  15. 


154  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

will  be  happy,  but  all  the  unknown  between-times,  the 
long  chain  of  connecting  links,  the  "  sundry  and  man- 
ifold changes,"  are  ordered  and  controlled  by  God. 
This  is  a  kind  of  fatalism,  you  may  think  ;  but  it  is  the 
right  kind  of  fatalism.  For  it  does  not  subject  us  to 
the  caprice  of  chance,  nor  to  the  stern  compulsion  of 
an  unconscious  necessity,  but  to  the  will  of  an  all-wise 
and  all-merciful  Father.  Happy  and  strong  and  brave 
shall  we  be,  —  able  to  endure  all  things,  and  to  do  all 
things,  —  if  we  believe  that  every  day,  every  hour, 
every  moment  of  our  life  is  in  His  hands. 

3.  The  third  expression  is  in  the  twentieth  verse  :  — 

"  In  the  covert  of  thy  presence  shalt  thou  hide  them  from  the  plot- 
tings  of  man : 

*'  Thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from  the  strife  of 
tongues."  l 

Think  what  a  comfort  this  faith  must  have  been  in 
a  life  like  that  of  Jeremiah.  He  was  surrounded  by 
wars  and  rumours  of  war.  The  city  where  he  lived 
was  full  of  contending  parties  and  civil  strife.  He 
heard  the  slander  of  many.  His  motives  were  im- 
pugned. His  life  was  threatened.  His  faith  was  de- 
rided. But  his  soul  had  one  safe  refuge  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  and  the  consciousness  that  he  was  doing 
the  Divine  will  with  sincere  fidelity.  Here  he  found 
peace  and  security.  A  conscience  void  of  offence  to- 
wards God  is  the  high  sanctuary  which  can  never  be 
violated. 

It  may  be  that  you  and  I  shall  never  be  called  to 

1  One  of  the  greatest  of  Phillips  Brooks' a  sermons  is  written  on  thia 
text. 


THE  SCHOOL   OF  DISAPPOINTMENT       155 

pass  through  sufferings  aiid  trials  like  those  of  Jere- 
miah. It  may  be  that  our  country  will  never  forfeit 
its  great  privileges  and  hasten  by  the  pathway  of  idol- 
atry and  iniquity  to  a  ruinous  downfall.  It  may  be 
that  we  shall  never  have  to  protest  alone  against  the 
corruptions  of  an  apostate  church.  But  it  can  hardly 
be,  if  we  are  true  Christians,  that  we  shall  not  be 
forced  at  some  time  or  other  to  take  the  unpopular 
side.  It  can  hardly  be  that  we  shall  never  feel  the 
hostile  pressure  of  the  pride  of  man,  and  the  stinging 
arrows  of  the  strife  of  tongues.  Then  we  shall  need 
a  refuge,  and  we  shall  find  it  only  in  the  loyal  adher- 
ence to  our  convictions,  in  the  faithful  performance  of 
our  duty,  which  shall  bring  us  so  near  to  God  that  we 
can  feel  His  presence  encircling,  embracing,  hiding  us, 
and  can  say  to  Him,  My  Lord,  I  have  been  true  to 
Thee,  and  I  know  that  Thou  wilt  surely  be  true  to  me. 


XII 
THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE 

PSALM  XLII 


THE  LAST  SIGH   OF  THE  EXILE 


WHEN  the  armies  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  had 
overcome  the  heroic  resistance  of  the  Moors,  and  the 
fair  city  of  Granada  had  surrendered  to  its  Christian 
conquerors,  the  long  train  of  defeated  warriors,  with 
their  wives  and  children,  passed  in  silence  from  their 
lost  home,  and  took  their  way  through  the  mountain 
passes  towards  the  land  of  banishment.  They  could 
not  bear  to  look  upon  the  triumph  of  their  victors. 
They  turned  their  backs  upon  the  city,  and  marched 
with  downcast  eyes  among  the  hills.  But  when  they 
arrived  at  the  eminence  which  commands  the  last  view 
of  Granada,  the  historian  tells  us  that  they  "  paused 
involuntarily  to  take  a  farewell  gaze  at  their  beloved 
capital,  which  a  few  steps  more  would  shut  from  their 
sight  forever.  Never  had  it  appeared  so  lovely  in 
their  eyes.  The  Moorish  cavaliers  gazed  with  a  silent 
agony  of  tenderness  and  grief  upon  that  delicious  abode, 
the  scene  of  their  loves  and  pleasures.  While  they 
yet  looked,  a  light  cloud  of  smoke  burst  forth  from  the 
citadel,  and  presently  a  peal  of  artillery  faintly  heard 
told  that  the  city  was  taken  possession  of  and  the 
throne  of  the  Moslem  kings  was  lost  forever.  The 
heart  of  Boabdil,  softened  by  misfortunes  and  over- 


160      THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

charged  with  grief,  could  no  longer  contain  itself. 
'Allah  Achbar!  (God  is  great!)  '  said  he;  but  the 
words  of  resignation  died  upon  his  lips  and  he  burst 
into  tears." 1  Even  to  this  day  that  range  of  hills  which 
commands  the  first  and  last  prospect  of  Granada  is 
known  as  "  El  ultimo  suspiro  del  Moro,"  —  the  last  sigh 
of  the  Moor. 

The  story  is  beautiful.  But  how  much  more  pathetic 
and  exquisite  is  the  narrative  which  this  forty-second 
psalm  brings  to  mind ;  and  how  much  better  does  the 
mountain-side  of  Hermon  deserve  the  name  of  "The 
Last  Sigh  " !  For  here  also  we  see  a  band  of  exiles 
going  forth,  after  a  brave  but  vain  resistance,  from 
their  fallen  city.  Here  also  we  trace  their  dejected 
wanderings  along  the  steep  and  rocky  road  which  led 
them  away  from  all  that  they  held  dear  into  a  strange 
and  distant  country.  And  here  at  length  we  see  them 
pausing,  perhaps  at  the  close  of  a  weary  day's  march, 
in  the  land  beyond  Jordan,  on  the  first  lofty  ridge  of 
the  eastern  mountains,  and  turning  for  a  long  parting 
look  at  their  beautiful  and  beloved  Zion.  Among 
these  same  hills  their  father  Jacob  had  seen  his  great 
vision  of  the  Hosts  of  God.2  Here,  also,  from  Pis- 
gah's  height,  their  deliverer  Moses  had  first  looked 
upon  the  bright  and  beckoning  landscape  of  the  Prom- 
ised Land.8  But  now  that  landscape,  fair  as  ever, 
breathed  a  mute  farewell.  It  was  the  last  look  at  the 
home  of  their  love,  the  citadel  of  their  pride,  the  shrine 
of  their  devotion.  Every  eye  was  dim  with  unshed 

1  Washington  Irving,  Conquest  of  Granada,  p.  525. 

•  Gen.  mil.  1.  *  Deut  miv.  L. 


THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE          161 

tears,  and  the  well-remembered  outlines  of  the  scene 
trembled  and  wavered  like  the  edges  of  a  dream. 
There  was  mourning  and  wailing  of  young  and  old, 
warriors  and  women,  priests  and  princes,  —  a  cry  went 
up  like  the  confused  lamentation  of  a  household  into 
which  death  has  entered.  And  then,  when  perhaps 
the  wailing  had  died  away  a  little,  and  the  eyes  of  the 
people  were  feeding  in  silent  hunger  upon  the  vanish- 
ing scene,  this  sweet  and  plaintive  song  arose  from  the 
lips  of  some  inspired  minstrel  and  floated  out  above 
the  throng. 

We  do  not  know  who  it  was  that  uttered  the  heart- 
felt melody.1  Some  have  conjectured  that  the  author 
was  the  king  Jeconiah  or  Jehoiakin,  whom  the  Chalde- 
ans carried  away  to  Babylon  in  the  fourth  month  of 
his  reign.  But  whoever  the  psalmist  may  have  been, 
one  thing  is  clear,  he  was  a  captive,  as  well  as  an  exile. 
He  was  surrounded  by  those  to  whom  his  religion  was 
a  jest  and  his  God  an  object  of  contempt.  To  whom 
does  this  language  apply  so  well  as  to  those  soldiers  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  worshippers  of  Nebo,  exultant  in  the 

1  The  psalm  has  been  attributed  to  David  at  the  time  when  he  was 
fleeing  from  Absalom.  But  this  seems  to  me  to  rob  it  of  its  peculiar 
beauty  ;  and  moreover  it  is  impossible  to  reconcile  such  an  interpreta- 
tion with  the  contents  of  the  psalm.  For  during  David's  flight  he  was 
not  surrounded  by  foes  who  mocked  him  for  his  faith  in  God,  but  by 
friends  who  were  loyal  and  devoted  to  his  cause.  He  could  not  have 
described  himself  as  "  mourning  all  the  day  because  of  the  oppression 
of  the  enemy."  Others  have  supposed  that  it  was  written  by  one  of 
the  priests  who  were  shut  out  by  Jeroboam  from  all  access  to  the  tem- 
ple. Others,  again,  that  it  was  composed  by  one  of  the  Levites  whom 
Athaliah  drove  away  from  Jerusalem.  But  these  conjectures  appeal 
far-fetched. 


162  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

resistless  power  and  surpassing  glory  of  their  deity, 
who  drove  the  Hebrews  across  the  mountains  and  the 
plains  to  grace  their  master's  triumphs  on  the  banks 
of  the  Euphrates?  Well  might  those  proud  idolaters 
taunt  their  prisoners  with  the  vanity  of  their  trust  in 
an  invisible  Jehovah.  Well  might  they  say  in  the 
accents  of  incredulous  derision,  "  Where  is  now  your 
God  ?  "  And  the  question  must  have  added  a  new  and 
deeper  pang  to  the  misery  of  the  conquered  Hebrews. 

But  it  may  be  that  the  inscription  of  the  psalm  gives 
us  a  hint  in  regard  to  its  aiithorship  which  ought  not  to 
be  disregarded.  It  is  one  of  the  twelve  compositions 
which  the  ancient  compiler  of  the  Book  of  Psalms  as- 
cribed to  "  the  sons  of  Korah."  Now,  Korah  was  that 
unhappy  man  who  led  the  impious  rebellion  against 
Moses  and  Aaron  in  the  wilderness  and  perished  in  an 
earthquake.  But  his  descendants  seem  to  have  had 
little  regard  for  the  law  of  heredity ;  for  the  family  of 
Korah,  in  later  days,  became  the  leaders  of  sacred  song 
in  the  service  of  the  Temple,1  and  the  honoured  door- 
keepers or  wardens  of  the  House  of  the  Lord.2  The 
dignity  in  which  they  held  this  office  is  expressed  in 
the  familiar  verse  of  the  84th  Psalm :  "I  had  rather 
be  a  doorkeeper  in  the  house  of  my  God  than  to  dwell 
in  the  tents  of  wickedness."  The  psalms  which  bear 
their  names  are  marked  by  an  intense  delight  in  the 
worship  of  the  sanctuary,  and  a  spirit  of  lyrical  fervour 
which  makes  them  among  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
whole  collection. 

If,  then,  we  may  follow  the  suggestion  of  the  title, 

1  2  Chron.  xx.  19.  2  1  Chron.  ix.  17-19. 


THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE          163 

we  shall  think  of  one  of  these  minstrels  who  had  been 
set  apart  from  his  very  childhood  to  the  service  of 
sacred  music,  whose  whole  life  had  grown  around  the 
Temple  as  the  vine  twines  itself  about  the  tree  which 
supports  it ;  one  to  whom  the  House  of  God  had 
been  the  centre  of  all  activity  and  joy,  something  more 
glorious  than  a  palace,  something  dearer  than  a  home ; 
one  whose  occupation  might  have  seemed  to  be  gone 
and  his  art  without  a  purpose  when  he  was  driven  away 
from  the  Holy  Place,  —  we  shall  think  of  such  a  man 
standing  in  one  of  the  many  companies  of  Jewish 
captives  who  paused  on  the  slope  of  Hermon's  moun- 
tain barrier  to  take  their  last  look  and  breathe  their  last 
sigh  towards  Zion ;  and  we  shall  see  him  touching  his 
harp  with  a  tremulous  hand,  and  pouring  forth  these 
"  profuse  strains  of  unpremeditated  art "  to  relieve 
and  comfort  himself  and  his  fellow-prisoners. 

Wondrous  power  of  music !  How  often  has  it  brought 
peace,  and  help,  and  strength  to  weary  and  down- 
cast pilgrims!  It  penetrates  the  bosom  and  unlocks 
the  doors  of  secret,  dumb,  self-consuming  anguish,  so 
that  the  sorrow  flowing  out  may  leave  the  soul  un- 
burdened and  released.  It  touches  the  chords  of 
memory,  and  the  cadence  of  old  songs  brings  back  the 
happy  scenes  of  the  past.  In  the  rude  mining  camp, 
cut  off  by  the  snows  of  winter,  in  the  narrow  cabin  of 
the  ship  ice-bound  in  Arctic  seas,  in  the  bare,  dark 
rooms  of  Libby  prison  where  the  captive  soldiers  are 
trying  to  beguile  the  heavy  time  in  company,  tears 
steal  down  the  rough  cheeks,  and  voices  quaver  with 
half-pain,  half-pleasure,  when  some  one  strikes  up  the 


164  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

familiar  notes  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home."  Music  lends 
a  strange  sweetness  to  the  remembrance  of  the  past, 
and  makes  the  troubles  of  the  present  heavier,  yet 
easier  to  bear.  And  then  it  borrows  the  comfort  of 
hope.  It  drops  the  threads  of  sorrow  one  by  one, 
and  catches  the  sweet  beams  of  light  reflected  from  the 
future,  and  weaves  them  magically  in  among  its  har- 
monies, blending,  brightening,  softening  the  mystic 
web,  until  we  are  enclosed,  we  know  not  how,  in  a  gar- 
ment of  consolation,  and  the  cold,  tired  heart  finds 
itself  warmed,  and  rested,  and  filled  with  courage. 
Most  gracious  ministry  of  music!  Happy  are  they 
who  know  how  to  exercise  it  in  simplicity  and  love ; 
happy  they  whose  life-pilgrimage  is  cheered  and  light- 
ened by  such  service.  It  was  well  for  that  band  of 
dejected  pilgrims,  looking  back  from  the  hill  Mizar 
towards  their  distant  home,  that  there  was  one  of  the 
sons  of  Korah  among  them,  who  understood  how  to 
mingle  the  melody  of  comfort  with  the  Last  Sigh  of 
the  Exile. 

The  psalm  is  divided  into  two  parts,  each  closing  with 
a  strong  and  joyful  exhortation  to  hope  in  God.  This 
may  be  considered  as  the  refrain,  the  emphatic  phrase, 
which  is  twice  repeated  as  if  it  were  worth  twice  as  much 
as  the  other  verses,  precious  as  they  may  be.  So  then 
we  will  keep  this  for  the  last,  and  listen  first  to  the 
minor  motives  of  the  psalm. 

1.  The  first  part  expresses  the  thirst  of  the  soul  for 
God  in  a  figure  so  beautiful  that  it  has  become  the 
common  symbol  of  religious  longing.  David  used  al- 
most the  same  figure,  you  remember,  in  the  sixty-third 


THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE          165 

psalm.  "  My  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth 
for  thee  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land  where  no  water  is." 
But  this  psalmist  lends  a  new  touch  of  pathos  to  the 
familiar  language  when  he  says :  — 

"  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water-brooks, 
"  So  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God." 

This  is  something  deeper  and  more  urgent  than  the  in- 
tellectual craving  for  the  Infinite,  the  natural  desire 
and  impulse  of  the  human  mind  to  seek  a  perfect 
object  for  its  thought.  It  is  something  more,  even,  than 
the  aspiration  of  a  sinful  and  self-disappointed  soul 
towards  moral  beauty  and  stainless  holiness.  It  is  the 
personal  longing  for  intimate  communion  with  the 
living  God.  To  come  into  vital  contact  with  God,  not 
as  a  Remote  Thought,  but  as  a  living  Person  ;  to  feel 
that  He  who  made  the  universe  is  not  only  the  Eternal 
Wisdom  but  the  wise  God,  not  only  the  Infinite  Love 
but  the  loving  Father  ;  to  be  assured  by  touch  of  soul 
that  He  is  an  ever-present  Reality,  and  to  perceive  the 
gentle  flow  of  His  affection  within  the  channel  of  the 
heart ;  —  this  is  the  water  of  everlasting  life,  the  only 
draught  that  can  truly  quench  the  craving  of  the  spirit. 
The  assurance  of  immortality  alone  is  not  enough. 
For  if  we  are  told  that  we  are  to  live  forever  and  still 
left  without  the  knowledge  of  a  personal  God,  eternity 
stretches  before  us  like  a  boundless  desert,  a  perpetual 
and  desolate  orphanage.  It  is  a  Divine  companionship 
that  the  spirit  needs  first  of  all  and  most  deeply.1 

1  "For  of  the  two  —  eternity  without  a  personal  God,  or  God  for 
seventy  years  without  immortality  —  no  one  after  David's  heart  would 
hesitate.  '  Give  me  God  for  life,  to  know,  and  be  known  by  Him.'  "  — 
F.  W.  Robertson,  Sermons,  2d  Series,  viii. 


166  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Now  this  need  is  always  present,  but  it  is  not  always 
conscious.  It  does  not  take  the  form  of  an  active  and 
definite  desire  —  a  spiritual  thirst  —  until  the  pres- 
sure of  pain  and  distress  comes  upon  us  and  forces  us 
back  upon  the  realities  of  our  existence.  There  is 
much  of  our  life  in  which  the  intellectual  knowledge  of 
God,  the  recognition  of  the  order  and  harmony  which 
testify  of  His  presence  in  the  physical  and  moral  reign 
of  law,  seems  at  least  to  content  us.  But  there  are  other 
times  when  a  great  drouth  falls  upon  the  inner  world, 
when  the  accustomed  streams  of  delight  shrink  and 
fail  within  their  beds,  when  the  heavens  of  emotion 
withhold  their  rain  and  the  pastures  of  thought  are 
dry  and  dewless,  when  the  soul  seems  to  be  hurried 
and  driven  to  and  fro  until  its  strength  is  all  ex- 
hausted—  like  a  hunted  gazelle,  forced  by  the  very 
exertions  of  flight  to  pant  more  eagerly  for  the  cool 
springs  from  which  flight  has  separated  it.  Then  all 
the  theological  definitions  of  God,  even  the  records  of 
His  revelations  to  other  men,  seem  vain  and  worthless. 
It  is  God  Himself  for  whom  the  heart  pants  and  longs. 

The  psalmist  tells  us  what  were  the  two  things  in  his 
own  experience  which  brought  this  craving  into  con- 
sciousness, and  made  it  so  intense  and  poignant  that 
it  must  find  expression.  The  first  was  the  pressure  of 
surrounding  unbelief,  brought  home  to  him  by  the 
taunts  of  his  heathen  captors.  The  second  was  the 
memory  of  past  joys  and  religious  privileges,  now  lost 
and  left  behind  in  the  land  from  which  he  was  sepa- 
rated. 

We  do  not  need  to  be  taken  prisoner  by  the  Chal- 


THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE  167 

deans  and  carried  away  to  Babylon  in  order  to  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  these  causes  of  spiritual  thirst. 
They  repeat  themselves,  in  a  thousand  different  forms, 
in  every  life.  We  are  often  standing  upon  the  hill  of 
sighs  and  looking  back  to  the  pleasant  places  which 
our  feet  shall  tread  no  more,  recalling  the  opportuni- 
ties which  have  departed,  remembering  the  sweet  Sab- 
baths in  the  home  of  childhood,  the  mornings  when 
we  went  with  the  multitude  of  friends  to  the  house  of 
God,  the  quiet  evenings  filled  with  the  voice  of  sacred 
song,  the  days  when  it  seemed  easy  and  natural  to  be 
good,  when  gracious  currents  of  holy  influence  were 
bearing  us  onward,  almost  without  effort,  towards  a 
better  life.  We  are  often  oppressed  and  dismayed  by 
the  close  contact  of  an  unbelieving  world.  We  feel 
surrounded,  shut  in,  imprisoned  by  hostile  influences. 
It  may  be  that  there  are  no  mocking  voices  to  ridicule 
or  deny  our  faith.  But  none  the  less  are  we  conscious 
of  moving  among  men  and  women  who  are  ignorant 
of  our  God,  careless  of  our  hopes,  indifferent  to  our 
spiritual  welfare.  All  their  conduct,  their  absorbing 
occupations,  their  whirling  pleasures,  their  very  forms 
of  speech  and  manners,  seem  like  an  involuntary  de- 
nial of  the  truth  of  religion.  We  are  borne  along 
with  them  in  their  march,  cannot  escape  from  them, 
cannot  disentangle  our  lives  from  theirs.  They  have 
power  over  us,  and  their  very  presence  suggests  the 
questions  of  practical  skepticism,  and  threatens  us  with 
the  captivity  of  a  godless  life.  The  air  of  the  world 
is  heavy,  parched,  suffocating.  We  must  find  some 
relief,  something  to  refresh  and  quicken  our  souls. 


168  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Well  for  us,  then,  if  we  realize  that  the  living  God  is 
the  only  spring  of  life,  and  search  inward  until  we  find 
Him. 

2.  This  is  what  the  second  part  of  the  psalm  de- 
scribes, —  this  inward  search,  this  secret  finding :  — 

"  I  remember  thee  from  the  land  of  Jordan, 
"  And  the  Hennons,  from  the  hill  Mizar."  1 

It  is  no  longer  the  outward  scene  of  the  Temple  wor- 
ship which  the  psalmist  recalls.  His  memory  goes 
deeper,  to  the  Divine  presence  which  made  that  wor- 
ship real  and  blessed.  God  was  there,  in  the  midst  of 
the  festal  throng  in  the  splendid  sanctuary  ;  but  He  is 
also  here,  on  the  cold  slopes  of  snowy  Hermon.  And 
though  the  roaring  of  the  flooded  Jordan,  the  wild 
voice  of  cataracts  calling  and  answering  from  deep  to 
deep,  now  blends  with  the  voice  of  the  singer,  though 
the  breakers  and  billows  of  sorrow  have  swept  over 
him,  yet  even  here  in  exile,  — 

"  The  Lord  will  command  his  loving-kindness  in  the  daytime," 

and  will  give  songs  in  the  night.  It  is  true  that  the 
enemies  are  still  present,  and  that  they  have  power  to 
taunt  and  distress.  But  now,  mark  you,  the  psalmist 
does  not  listen  to  them  alone.  He  does  not  sink  into 
gloomy  silence.  He  turns  inward  to  that  closer,  greater 
Presence.  He  tells  it  all  to  the  Companion  whom  he 
has  found:  — 

"  I  will  say  unto  God,  my  rock,  Why  hast  thou  forgotten  me  ? 
"  Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the  enemy  ?  " 

It  ia  no  longer  a  sigh  breathed  into  the  air ;  no  longei 
a  flood  of  tears  on  which  the  soul  feeds  in  solitude^ 

1  Compare  Jonah  ii.  7.  3  Verse  3. 


THE  LAST  SIGH  OF  THE  EXILE  169 

It  is  a  direct  and  personal  prayer  to  Him  who  is  al- 
ways near.  It  is  no  longer  a  pouring  out  of  the  soul 
upon  itself,1  a  self-communion  of  despair.  It  is  a 
pouring  out  of  the  soul  upon  God  ;  and  though  the 
current  be  one  of  sorrow  it  establishes  a  real  connec- 
tion. When  you  can  talk  to  God,  when  you  can  really 
tell  Him  what  is  in  your  heart,  then  you  have  found 
religion.  For  religion  is  nothing  else  than  a  living 
tie,  a  channel  of  vital  intercourse  between  God  and 
man. 

3.  And  now,  along  this  very  channel  which  grief  has 
opened,  flows  back  the  stream  of  joy.  As  if  the  mes- 
sage of  trouble  had  passed  the  message  of  help  mid- 
way in  its  course ;  as  if  a  hidden  voice  had  "  whispered 
heavenly  cheer ; "  as  if  a  spring  of  comfort  had  sud- 
denly been  unsealed  in  the  midst  of  the  desert,  the  re- 
frain of  the  psalm  breaks  forth  :  — 

"  Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  ? 

"  And  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ? 

"  Hope  thou  in  God :  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him, 

"  Who  is  the  health  of  my  countenance  and  my  God." 

Thy  feelings  will  ebb  and  flow,  thy  heart  will  grow 
warm  in  summer's  glow  and  cold  in  winter's  chill, 
thou  wilt  be  brave  and  steadfast  to-day,  downcast  and 
anxious  to-morrow.  Thy  streams  will  be  full  in  the 
rainy  season,  and  in  the  time  of  drouth  they  will  be 
bare  beds  of  stone.  Turn  away  from  thyself.  Hope 
in  God.  He  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary.  He  is  the 
unfailing  fountain ;  His  affections  do  not  decay ;  with 
Him  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of  turning. 

1  Verse  4. 


170  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

"When  thou  art  dismayed,  He  is  still  full  of  an  eternal 
peace.  When  thou  art  downcast,  He  is  still  untroubled. 
Is  He  not  everywhere?  Does  not  the  sun  shine  as 
brightly  on  this  bare  mountain  and  on  the  distant  walls 
of  Babylon  as  on  the  dismantled  towers  of  Zion  ? 
Will  he  not  rise  to-morrow  as  calmly  and  surely  as 
he  rose  to-day?  Turn  to  Him  and  He  shall  be  the 
health  of  thy  countenance.  Look  towards  the  light, 
and  thy  shadow  shall  fall  behind  thee,  and  thou  shalt 
march  even  into  exile  with  a  song  upon  thy  lips  and 
the  brightness  of  an  everlasting  hope  shining  in  thy 
face. 

Thus  the  son  of  Korah  takes  his  last  look  toward 
the  city  of  his  love,  turns  his  back  upon  the  dear 
scene,  and  plods  onward  into  captivity.  Farewell  Je- 
rusalem !  But  not  farewell  God !  For  in  that  friend- 
ship there  is  no  parting,  and  from  that  presence  there 
is  no  banishment 


XIII 

"  BY  THE  RIVERS  OF  BABYLON  " 

PSALM  CXXXVII 


"BY  THE  RIVERS  OF  BABYLON 


IN  this  plaintive  song  the  Hebrew  poet  has  caught 
the  very  spirit  of  captivity.  He  not  only  makes  us 
hear  the  exiles'  complaint,  but  he  brings  before  the  in- 
ward eye  the  scene  of  their  banishment. 

Babylon  was  emphatically  a  land  of  many  rivers. 
The  city  itself  was  built  beside  the  main  channel  of  the 
Euphrates,  upon  which  all  the  streets  terminated  and 
all  the  gates  opened.  Level,  straight,  rectangular,  like 
the  dream  of  a  mathematician,  it  was  laid  out  on  a 
similar  plan  to  that  which  William  Penn  chose  for  his 
city  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware.1  The  circuit  of  its 
walls  was  more  than  forty  miles. 

The  surrounding  country  was  a  vast  plain,  made  fer- 
tile by  the  innumerable  streams  which  either  flowed 
into  the  Euphrates,  or  were  diverted  from  it  in  canals 
of  irrigation.  Through  a  thousand  minor  channels  the 
river  rolled  its  sluggish  tide,  and  the  whole  region  was 
covered  with  a  network  of  watercourses.  Their  banks 

1  "Much  according  to  this  model  William  Penn,  the  Quaker,  laid 
out  the  plan  for  his  city  of  Philadelphia.  .  .  .  Yet  fifty-six  of  such 
cities  might  stand  in  the  walls  that  encompassed  Bahylon."  —  Pri- 
deaux'  Connections,  quoted  by  Dean  Stanley.  But  this  was  written 
many  years  ago ;  and  now  the  Philadelphians  can  boast  of  a  more 
favourable  comparison  in  point  of  size. 


174  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

were  marked  by  long  lines  of  trees,  stretching  away 
in  endless  parallels  to  the  horizon.  It  was  a  landscape 
of  orderly  cultivation,  opulent,  peaceful,  symmetrical. 
Nature  seemed  to  be  full  of  quiet  self-complacency. 
Her  breathing  was  slow  and  regular  as  if  she  were  well- 
fed  and  willing  to  repose.  Thus  doubtless  it  appeared 
to  the  proud  and  prosperous  Babylonians  as  they  looked 
upon  their  fat  land. 

But  to  the  captive  Hebrews  the  aspect  of  Mesopo- 
tamia was  very  different.  For  it  is  strange  how  much 
of  the  expression  of  Nature  depends  on  our  own  mood 
when  we  look  at  her.  She  is  forever  playing  the  familiar 
and  deceptive  role  of  the  sympathetic  friend.  She  re- 
flects the  face  of  the  beholder. 

"  We  receive  but  what  we  give, 

"  And  in  our  life  alone  does  Nature  live ; 

"  Ours  is  her  wedding-garment,  ours  her  shroud  I  "  1 

The  Jewish  exiles  saw  in  this  flat  plain,  spread  out 
beneath  the  flat  sky,  the  emblem  of  eternal  monotony. 
The  voice  of  the  slow-moving  streams  was  not  like  the 
glad  shout  of  the  torrents  in  their  own  native  land,  nor 
even  like  the  wild  roaring  of  the  swollen  Jordan  when 
"  deep  answered  unto  deep  "  at  the  noise  of  the  cataracts. 
It  was  a  dull,  heavy  voice,  like  the  murmur  of  complaint, 
like  the  dropping  of  continual  tears.  How  slowly  the 
waters  moved,  but  not  more  slowly  than  the  tedious 
hours!  How  endlessly  the  long  lines  of  streets  and 
canals  and  trees  prolonged  themselves  into  the  distance, 
without  break,  without  change,  without  uplifting,  like 
mute  prophecies  of  interminable  weariness  !  How  sadly 

i  S.  T.  Coleridge,  Dejection. 


"BY   THE  RIVERS   OF  BABYLON"  175 

fche  wind  sighed  through  the  branches  of  the  willows, 
—  long,  drooping,  swaying  with  every  breath  of  air,  — 
surely  these  were  no  longer  the  emblems  of  prosperity 
but  of  grief,  and  they  must  henceforth  be  called  the 
"  weeping  willows." 1  Thus  the  prisoners  sat  beside 
the  waters,  and  their  harps  were  silent,  and  they  could 
not  sing  the  old  songs,  —  not  because  they  could  not 
remember,  but  because  they  could  not  forget,  nor  cease 
to  desire  Zion. 

When  we  speak  of  the  Hebrews  as  prisoners  in 
Babylon,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  word  is  not 
used  in  its  ordinary  and  literal  sense.  They  were 
neither  chained  nor  thrust  into  dungeons.  They  were 
not  even  treated  as  the  serfs  of  their  conquerors.  So 
far  as  we  can  learn  from  the  writings  of  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  and  Daniel,  and  from  the  Apocryphal  books 
of  Tobit  and  Baruch,  their  condition  was  not  marked 
by  any  social  or  civil  disqualifications.  They  bought 
lands  and  built  houses  and  planted  gardens.2  They 
dwelt  at  ease  in  the  land,  marrying  their  children  and 
bringing  up  their  households  according  to  the  laws  of 
Moses.  They  increased  in  numbers  and  in  wealth, 
and  (unless  the  Chaldeans  were  more  active  and  sharp 
than  most  modern  races)  they  probably  succeeded  in 
getting  at  least  a  reasonable  share  of  the  trade  of  Baby- 
lon into  their  hands.  They  even  entered  into  public  life, 
and  attained  the  highest  positions  at  the  royal  court. 

1  Previous  to  this  time  the  willow  had  been  used  as  a  symbol  of  joy. 
Its  branches  were  employed  in  the  construction  of  booths  for  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles.     Isaiah  compares  the  offspring  of  Israel  to  willows 
springing  up  by  the  watercourses.     (Is.  xliv.  4.) 

2  Jer.  xxix.  5-7. 


176  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Daniel  became  the  ruler  of  the  province  of  Babylon ; l 
Nehemiah  held  the  princely  office  of  cup-bearer  to  the 
king.2  The  Hebrews  in  Babylon  were  in  no  sense  an 
unprosperous  or  oppressed  community.  They  were 
not  slaves.  They  were  simply  enforced  colonists,  and 
though  their  immigration  had  been  compulsory,  their 
reception  was  far  from  harsh,  nor  was  their  treatment 
ungenerous.  So  far  as  worldly  welfare  was  concerned 
they  were  perhaps  better  off  than  they  had  been  in 
Judea. 

How,  then,  are  we  to  account  for  the  tone  of  deep 
humiliation  and  bitter  sorrow  which  pervades  the  allu- 
sions to  this  period  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  ?  How 
are  we  to  understand  the  melancholy  complaints  of  this 
psalm  of  the  captivity  ?  It  would  seem  more  natural 
that  the  minstrels  should  have  rejoiced  in  their  comfort 
under  the  willows,  beside  the  tranquil  streams,  and 
should  have  learned  gladly  to  mingle  the  new  songs  of 
Chaldea  with  the  ancient  melodies  of  their  native  land. 

And  so  it  would  have  been  if  worldly  welfare  were 
the  chief  element  in  human  happiness,  if  physical  ease 
and  outward  prosperity  could  content  the  heart.  But 
there  are  deeper  needs  and  cravings  in  our  nature, 
necessities  more  vital  and  imperious,  and  while  these 
live  and  remain  unsatisfied,  happiness  is  impossible.  It 
is  true  that  these  cravings  are  liable  to  perish  in  men 
who  are  willing  to  give  themselves  up  to  a  life  of  mere 
bodily  enjoyment.  It  is  true  that  they  have  perished 
to  a  large  extent  in  the  gross  materialism  of  our  mod- 
ern civilization,  so  that  there  are  multitudes  of  men  at 
i  Dan.  ii.  48.  a  Neh.  i.  11. 


"BY  THE  RIVERS   OF  BABYLON"          111 

present  to  whom  it  makes  but  little  difference  where  or 
how  they  live,  provided  they  are  in  outward  comfort. 
It  was  true  also,  no  doubt,  that  in  many  of  the  Hebrews 
the  influences  of  Babylon  produced  the  same  effect,  so 
that  they  ceased  to  bewail  their  banishment,  and  were 
careless  of  the  opportunity  to  return  from  it.  But  in 
the  noblest  and  best  of  the  people,  in  the  hearts  of  the 
true  Israelites,  there  was  a  perpetual  sorrow,  an  inces- 
sant longing,  which  the  pleasures  of  Chaldea  could  never 
still.  Three  elements,  it  seems  to  me,  must  certainly 
have  entered  into  their  grief. 

1.  The  love  of  liberty. 

There  is  no  deeper  passion  than  this,  native  to  the 
human  heart.  To  be  free,  to  move  in  accordance  with 
voluntary  choice,  to  render  submission  only  where  it  is 
due,  to  follow  reason  and  conscience  willingly  without 
the  compulsion  of  brute  force,  —  this  is  the  instinct  of 
personality.  The  nobler  the  race,  the  more  highly  de- 
veloped the  individual,  the  stronger  and  more  ardent 
does  this  passion  become.  It  is  no  mere  self-asserting 
spirit  of  revolt  against  lawful  authority,  no  wild,  un- 
trammeled  desire  to  fling  the  reins  upon  the  neck  of 
appetite  and  indulge  the  personal  impulses  without  re- 
straint. The  lover  of  liberty  is  always  a  lover  of  law. 
He  desires  to  follow  the  best,  not  the  worst ;  and  he 
rebels,  not  against  the  restraints  of  justice,  but  against 
the  constraints  of  power ;  not  against  the  yoke  of  ser- 
vice, but  against  the  chains  of  bondage.  To  be  con- 
trolled without  right  or  reason,  to  feel  the  pressure  of 
an  alien  will  merely  as  a  stronger  force,  crushing, 
constraining,  imprisoning  his  will,  —  that  is  misery. 


178  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Against  such  bondage  the  most  heroic  struggles  of 
history  have  been  waged.  The  wars  of  Greece  against 
Persia,  of  Holland  against  Spain,  of  Switzerland 
against  Austria,  of  the  American  Colonies  against 
Great  Britain,  are  ever-memorable  achievements  of  the 
love  of  liberty.  Men  have  chosen  to  be  impoverished, 
to  suffer  untold  hardships,  to  die,  rather  than  be  de- 
prived of  liberty.  To  be  free  in  the  desert  is  better 
than  to  be  in  bondage  in  a  palace.  But  when  the 
struggle  is  hopeless,  nothing  remains  for  the  noble 
spirit  but  to  be  wretched.  And  thus  the  rich  land  of 
Chaldea,  the  splendid  city  of  Babylon,  the  fair  gardens 
and  the  magnificent  parks,  seemed  to  the  liberty-loving 
Hebrews  odious  and  dreary,  because  they  were  there 
against  their  will.  They  were  subject  to  an  authority 
which  they  had  never  chosen.  The  superior  force  of 
their  conquerors  held  them  captive  by  a  chain  which 
was  none  the  lighter  because  it  was  unseen. 

2.  The  love  of  country. 

This  is  not  a  quality  which  is  native  to  man.  For 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  human  history  the  race  was 
nomadic,  wandering  to  and  fro  in  tents,  and  regarding 
the  whole  globe  as  its  country.  But  as  civilization 
advanced,  families,  tribes,  communities,  became  fixed 
in  local  habitations,  acquired  title  and  attachment  to 
certain  portions  of  the  earth ;  and  so  in  the  hearts  of 
men  there  grew  up  a  sentiment  of  strong  and  permanent 
affection  for  the  places  where  they  were  born  and  lived. 
It  is  difficult  to  analyze,  and  perhaps  difficult  to  jus- 
tify, this  sentiment  on  abstract  grounds.  But  as  a  con- 
crete thing,  as  a  motive  power  in  human  life,  it  is  real, 


"BY  THE  RIVERS   OF  BABYLON"  179 

and  true,  and  immensely  potent.  It  is  quite  indepen- 
dent of  the  considerations  of  outward  beauty  or  com- 
parative advantage.  The  Greenlander  will  sigh  among 
the  Tropics  for  the  snow-clad  wastes  of  his  home.  The 
Highlander  clings  to  the  barren  hillsides  of  Scotland, 
and  would  rather  starve  on  Scotch  oatmeal  than  revel 
in  the  abundance  of  a  foreign  land.  The  Irish  peas- 
ant (at  least  he  of  the  type  which  Mr.  Parnell  claims 
is  the  best)  prefers  the  Green  Isle  and  eviction  to 
America  and  an  estate.  The  Swiss  soldier,  so  the  old 
books  tell  us,  was  wont  to  die  of  longing  for  the  sight 
of  his  beloved  mountains.  And  I  suppose  there  are 
some  of  us  who  think  even  yet,  although  the  cosmopoli- 
tan spirit  has  destroyed  so  many  of  our  illusions  and 
the  old-fashioned  emotions  are  dying  out  so  fast,  that 
there  is  no  place  on  earth  like  "  our  own,  our  native 
land." 

Now  there  never  was  a  race  in  whom  this  sentiment 
of  local  attachment  —  the  patriotism  of  the  soil  — 
was  more  firmly  rooted,  more  highly  developed,  than  it 
was  in  the  Hebrews.  To  them  the  land  of  Canaan  had 
become  almost  a  religion.  It  had  been  promised  to 
them  by  God.  It  had  been  won  by  the  most  strenuous 
and  heroic  exertions.  It  was  hallowed  by  innumerable 
sacred  associations.  Their  pride,  their  love,  all  centred 
there ;  no  mountains  like  those  of  Judea,  no  plains  so 
fair,  no  valleys  so  delightful,  no  streams  so  sweet  and 
clear,  no  city  like  Jerusalem,  beautiful  for  situation,  the 
joy  of  the  whole  earth.  To  be  absent  from  their  land 
was  to  be  in  shame  and  sorrow.  All  the  pleasures  of 
Babylon,  the  wonderful  fertility,  the  cultivated  beauty 


180  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

of  the  Mesopotamian  plain,  could  not  console  them. 
They  pined  in  banishment.  They  were  homesick  for 
Jerusalem. 

And  then  to  remember  that  their  land  was  not  only 
distant  but  desolate  ;  that  all  her  pleasant  places  had 
been  laid  waste  and  her  former  glories  destroyed ;  that 
her  high  city  had  been  cast  down,  and  the  hill  of  Zion 
covered  with  ruins,  —  this  was  indeed  a  heavy  thought, 
which  made  their  exile  almost  intolerable,  and  silenced 
all  song  upon  their  lips. 

3.  The  love  of  religion. 

Not  in  all  hearts  was  this  passion  equally  strong. 
But  in  the  hearts  of  the  purest  and  best  among  the 
Hebrews  it  was  the  master-passion.  They  never  had 
been  willing  to  regard  their  God  as  one  among  many 
equal  deities,  or  to  think  of  their  worship  as  to  be  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  heathen.  Jehovah  was  the  sole 
and  sovereign  Lord,  the  one  living  and  true  God.  His 
Temple  was  the  sacred  place,  none  other  like  it  for 
holiness  or  beauty.  And  now  that  Temple  was  over- 
thrown and  defiled.  That  divinely-ordered  worship 
was  silenced.  They  were  thrust  into  close  contact  with 
all  the  abominations  of  idolatry.  They  were  forced 
to  witness  the  worship  of  their  heathen  conquerors,  to 
listen  to  their  taunts  and  jeers  against  the  true  reli- 
gion, to  endure  the  continual  presence  of  their  scornful 
unbelief.  In  spiritual  things  they  were  desolate  and 
lonely,  like  the  pelican  of  the  wilderness,  like  the  owl 
of  the  desert.1  How  should  they  sing,  at  the  bidding 
of  their  captors,  those  holy  songs  which  once  had  echoed 

1  Psalm  oii.  6, 


"BY  THE  RIVERS  OF  BABYLON"          181 

through  the  courts  of  Zion?  Mirth  and  music  were 
not  fitting  for  those  days  of  darkness,  of  trial,  of  weary 
waiting,  in  a  land  that  knew  not  Jehovah.  If  they  sang 
at  all  it  should  be  a  new  song,  written  in  a  minor  key, 
and  tuned  to  the  sadness  of  their  souls.  A  song  of 
faithful  memory :  — 

"  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 

"  Let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning. 

*'  Let  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth, 

**  If  I  remember  thee  not ; 

"  If  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem 

"  Above  my  chief  joy." 

There  is  something  exquisitely  beautiful  and  tender 
in  these  strains,  a  spirit  of  true  religious  devotion 
which  we  might  do  well  to  catch.  Do  we  feel  this 
deep  and  sensitive  love  for  our  religion  and  all  that  is 
associated  with  it  ?  Is  absence  from  its  sacred  places 
and  privileges  painful  to  us  ?  Does  contact  with  unbe- 
lief and  practical  heathenism  distress  us  ?  Do  we  feel 
like  exiles  and  captives,  when,  as  often  happens,  we  are 
surrounded  and  shut  in  by  the  manifold  idolatries  of 
the  world  ?  It  is  to  be  feared  that,  in  the  matter  of 
warm  religious  affection,  of  steadfast  heart-loyalty,  we 
have  something  yet  to  learn  ere  we  can  say  that  we 
never  forget  Zion,  and  ever  prefer  Jerusalem  above  our 
chief  joy. 

But  the  psalm  does  not  end  here.  There  are  yet 
three  verses  which  demand  our  attention,  —  verses 
written  in  a  different  spirit,  and  which  we  must  frankly 
acknowledge  are  full  of  difficulty.  The  psalmist  turns 
from  his  tender  recollections  of  Zion  to  invoke  punish- 
ment upon  her  enemies  ancj.  destroyers. 


182  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

"  Remember,  0  Lord,  against  the  children  of  Edom 
"  The  day  of  Jerusalem ; 

'  Who  said,  Rase  it,  rase  it, 

'  Even  to  the  foundation  thereof. 

'  O  daughter  of  Babylon,  that  art  to  be  destroyed, 

'  Happy  shall  he  be  that  rewardeth  thee, 

'  As  thou  hast  served  us. 

*  Happy  shall  he  be  that  taketh  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones 

'  Against  the  rock." 

This  is  an  imprecation,  or  in  plain  language  a  curse ; 
and  though  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  its  historic 
truth  as  a  report  of  language  which  a  Hebrew  psalmist 
at  that  time  would  have  been  likely  to  use,  or  about 
its  prophetic  accuracy  as  a  foreshadowing  of  the  fate 
which  actually  befell  Edom  and  Babylon ;  the  question 
still  remains,  —  and  it  is  a  question  of  real  and  vital 
importance  to  the  integrity  of  our  faith  in  the  Bible,  — - 
How  are  we  to  reconcile  these  words  with  the  spirit 
of  Christ,  who  taught  His  disciples  to  bless  their  ene- 
mies,1 and  the  doctrine  of  St.  Paul,  who  said,  "  Bless, 
and  curse  not "  ?  2 

There  are  four  ways  in  which  we  may  answer  this 
question  ;  four  views  which  have  been  taken  of  the  im- 
precatory psalms. 

First  is  the  theory  that  these  passages  of  denuncia- 
tion are  not  imprecations  but  predictions ;  that  they 
do  not  express  the  wish  of  the  speaker,  but  merely 
his  knowledge  of  what  will  occur  in  the  future.  "We 
may  dispose  of  this  view  at  once,  by  stating  that  it  is 
not  true.  There  are  some  of  the  psalms  to  which  it 
applies ;  but  in  many  of  them  the  language  will  not 
bear  this  construction. 

i  St  Matt.  v.  44.  »  Rom.  xii.  14. 


"BY  THE  RIVERS   OF  BABYLON"  183 

It  is  better  to  leave  the  Scriptures  undefended  than 
to  defend  them  by  deceitful  expedients. 

Second  is  the  theory  that  these  imprecations  are  not 
the  utterances  of  private  individuals,  but  of  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  nation,  who  are  speaking  not  only  on 
behalf  of  the  chosen  people,  but  also  in  the  name  of 
truth  and  religion.  This  undoubtedly  justifies  many  of 
the  psalms,  especially  those  of  David,  from  the  charge 
of  personal  violence  and  revengeful  feeling.  It  is 
proper  for  a  public  man,  a  ruler,  or  a  spokesman  of  the 
people,  to  utter  denunciations  and  threats  of  punish- 
ment, which  would  be  out  of  place  in  the  mouth  of  a 
private  person.  But  even  this  does  not  go  far  enough 
to  justify  the  exaction  of  vengeance  upon  helpless  and 
innocent  children.  It  may  account  for  the  prayer 
against  Edom  and  the  prophecy  against  Babylon,  but 
the  "  slaughter  of  the  innocents  "  will  not  come  under 
the  cloak  of  public  expediency  and  national  retri- 
bution. 

Third  is  the  theory  which  regards  these  imprecations 
as  the  inspired  expression  of  a  just  anger  against  the 
enemies  of  God,  and  defends  them  on  the  ground  of 
righteous  indignation.  And  here,  also,  we  must  admit 
a  certain  amount  of  validity  in  the  defence.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  righteous  indignation,  and  the  world 
would  fare  badly  without  it.  The  opponents  of  truth 
and  righteousness,  the  heathen  foes  of  the  Divine  re- 
ligion, all  who  are  implacably  arrayed  against  the 
cause  and  kingdom  of  Jehovah,  must  perish.  And 
doubtless  it  is  quite  consistent  with  the  character  of 
God  that  those  whom  He  inspired  as  His  prophets 


184  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

should  both  predict  and  invoke  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked.  But  even  this  theory,  stretch  it  as  far  as  it 
will  go,  fails  to  cover  the  last  verse  of  our  psalm. 
For  surely  not  the  most  righteous  indignation  can  jus- 
tify the  psalmist  in  calling  down  a  blessing  upon  the 
man  who  should  dash  the  Babylonian  little  ones  against 
the  stones.  This  is  more  than  just  severity  ;  it  is  bar- 
barous cruelty.  Every  better  instinct  of  humanity, 
every  true  sentiment  of  Christian  love,  is  offended  and 
wounded  by  such  language. 

There  remains  but  one  other  way  of  treating  it ;  and 
that  is  to  say  frankly  that  it  is  the  language  of  an  age 
which  is  past,  the  expression  of  a  spirit  which  is  su- 
perseded, for  all  true  believers,  by  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  is  true  that  the  Old  Testament  is  part  of  the  word 
of  God.  But  it  is  the  word  of  God  spoken  through 
men  who  were  but  partially  enlightened,  who  had  not 
yet  received  the  full  and  perfect  revelation  of  Divine 
truth.  There  were  certain  things  permitted  in  them 
which  are  not  permitted  in  us.  They  were  partakers 
of  the  quality  of  the  times  in  which  they  lived.  And 
in  the  letter  of  their  utterances  we  must  discern,  if 
we  are  candid  and  clear-sighted,  the  discolorations  of 
human  passion  and  prejudice.  It  was  natural  for  a 
Hebrew,  writing  in  the  days  when  warfare  was  bar- 
barous, and  conquest  often  meant  extermination,  to  ap- 
prove of  the  destruction  of  the  children  of  the  heathen. 
But  for  a  Christian  to  use  such  language  or  to  cherish 
such  sentiments  would  be  utterly  intolerable.  Christ 
has  given  us  a  fuller  light.  Christ  has  taught  us  a 
more  excellent  way. 


"BY  THE  RIVERS   OF  BABYLON"  185 

Surely  we  are  doing  no  despite  to  the  Bible,  nor  are 
we  propounding  any  other  theory  of  inspiration  than 
that  which  was  taught  and  illustrated  by  Jesus  Christ, 
when  we  say  that  there  are  some  things  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament which  have  been  left  far  behind,  made  forever 
obsolete,  by  the  revelation  which  is  given  to  us  in  the 
New  Testament.  Did  not  the  Master  himself  say  the 
same  thing  when  He  taught  His  disciples  that  His 
spirit  was  different  from  the  spirit  of  Elijah  ? 1 

There  is  much  in  the  Psalms  which  is  perfect  and 
enduring,  and  which  goes  forward  with  us  into  the 
Christian  life.  But  there  is  also  something  which  is 
imperfect  and  transitory.  And  so  this  fearful  picture 
of  vengeance  invoked  upon  the  helpless  babies  of  Bab- 
ylon falls  back  into  the  darkness  of  the  past,  as  we 
hear  the  voice  of  Christ  saying,  "  Suffer  the  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,"  and  realize  that  it  is  our  duty 
to  forgive  and  bless  and  help,  not  only  the  children  of 
our  enemies,  but  even  our  enemies  themselves, 
i  St.  Luke  ix.  55. 


XIV 
THE   PRAISE  OF   PRAYER 

PSALM  CVII 


THE  PRAISE  OP  PRAYER 


LORD  BACON  has  remarked  in  one  of  his  Essays  that 
"  Prosperity  is  the  Blessing  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
Adversity  is  the  Blessing  of  the  New."  But  the  wise 
philosopher  has  not  failed  to  note  that  this  general  rule 
has  its  exceptions.  Even  in  the  earlier  dispensation 
trouble  was  often  medicinal,  and  sorrow  brought  its 
benediction,  so  that  in  the  experience  of  men  like  Job 
and  David  affliction  became  a  benefit,  and  patience  had 
her  perfect  work. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  that  there  is  no  instance 
in  the  Old  Testament  in  which  this  New  Testament 
blessing  is  more  clearly  anticipated  and  illustrated  than 
in  the  history  of  the  Babylonish  captivity.  We  con- 
sidered in  connection  with  the  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
seventh  psalm,  some  of  the  trials  and  sorrows  of  that 
period ;  we  glanced  also  at  some  of  the  mitigations  of 
its  hardships,  the  social  and  material  advantages  which 
the  Hebrews  enjoyed.  But  there  is  one  thing  which 
we  are  most  likely  to  overlook,  because  it  lies  beneath 
the  surface  ;  and  that  is  the  effect  of  the  captivity  upon 
the  moral  and  religious  character  of  the  people.  It  act- 
ually produced  a  deep  and  lasting  change.  It  brought 
out  into  intense  relief  certain  qualities  which  had  long 


190  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

been  overlaid  and  hidden ;  and  at  the  same  time  it 
developed  new  and  noble  traits  in  harmony  with  them. 
It  gave  to  these,  under  the  pressure  of  adverse  circum- 
stances, a  rock-like  hardness  and  consistency ;  and  we 
shall  find  that  some  of  the  direct  results  of  the  cap- 
tivity are  perpetuated  in  the  faith  and  character  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

In  the  first  place,  it  was  in  this  period  that  Israel 
was  finally  delivered  from  the  besetting  sin  of  idolatry. 
While  the  Jews  were  in  their  own  land  they  were  con- 
tinually hankering  after  strange  gods,  trying  experi- 
ments in  religion,  imitating  the  attractive  image-wor- 
ship of  their  heathen  neighbours.  The  way  in  which 
God  chose  to  cure  them  was  one  which  is  said  to  be 
useful  with  children  who  are  too  fond  of  sweets,  —  the 
method  of  surfeit.  He  led  them  into  a  far  country, 
and  there  they  had  their  fill  of  idolatry.  They  saw 
the  process  by  which  gods  were  manufactured.1  They 
observed  all  the  abominations  and  the  stupidities  with 
which  men  adored  the  work  of  their  own  hands.2  And 
they  recoiled  with  a  scornful  contempt,  which  has  en- 
dured even  unto  this  day.  Never  again  did  the  Jews 
long  for  deaf  and  dumb  and  impotent  deities  of  wood 
or  stone.  The  tradition  of  spiritual  worship  became 
ineradicable  and  supreme  in  the  race.  You  may  find 
Jews  who  are  skeptics  like  Heine,  pantheists  like 
Spinoza,  but  you  will  find  no  more  idolaters  like 
Manasseh. 

It  was  during  the  captivity  also  that  the  thought  of 

*  la.  xliv.  9-20. 

8  The  story  of  Bel  and  the  Dragon,  in  the  Apocrypha. 


THE  PRAISE   OF  PRAYER  191 

the  excellency  and  glory  of  suffering  dawned  upon  the 
Hebrew  mind,  and  entered  into  their  visions  of  the 
promised  Messiah.  It  is  true  that  there  are  other  and 
earlier  passages  of  Scripture  which  contain  the  intima- 
tions that  the  Christ  must  be  acquainted  with  sorrow ; 
but  it  is  not  until  we  come  to  the  fifty-third  chapter  of 
the  Book  of  Isaiah  that  we  see  Him  set  forth  as  the 
patient  and  silent  sufferer,  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaugh- 
ter and  dumb  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers.  The 
divine  beauty  of  uncomplaining  submission,  the  re- 
demptive power  of  vicarious  sacrifice,  is  a  lesson  which 
could  be  learned  only  in  the  depths  of  a  grievous  ex- 
perience. It  is  the  touch  of  anguish  upon  the  human 
heart  which  makes  it  long  for  a  Saviour  who  is  familiar 
with  pain,  and  able  by  the  power  of  His  sympathy  to 
bring  comfort  and  help.  Nay,  more  than  this,  it  is  out 
of  his  own  most  poignant  sufferings  that  a  man  comes 
to  understand  the  possibility  of  suffering  with  and  for 
others,  and  the  figure  of  the  Lamb  of  God  bearing  the 
sins  of  the  world  rises  before  his  soul.  And  so  we  find, 
unless  I  am  mistaken,  something  peculiarly  tender  and 
consoling  mingling  with  the  later  pictures  of  the  Mes- 
siah. He  is  the  deliverer  of  the  captive,  the  giver  of 
sight  to  the  blind.  He  binds  up  the  broken-hearted 
and  comforts  all  that  mourn.1  He  comes  as  a  meek 
and  lowly  King,  riding  upon  an  ass  and  upon  a  colt  the 
foal  of  an  ass.2  His  lineaments  and  his  bearing  are 
familiar  to  us,  for  they  are  those  that  we  have  known 
and  loved  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Another  result  of  the  captivity  was  an  advance  from 

i  Is.  Ixi.  1-3.  2  Zech.  ix.  9. 


192  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

the  merely  ceremonial  and  outward  conception  of  re- 
ligion to  that  which  is  moral  and  spiritual.  Separated 
from  the  elaborate  and  engrossing  ritual  of  the  Tem- 
ple, the  Jews  were  thrown  back  upon  the  realities  of 
religion  as  distinguished  from  its  forms.  They  learned 
that  the  true  worship  is  the  offering  of  a  pure  heart, 
and  the  fast  that  God  hath  chosen  is  to  deal  bread  to 
the  hungry  and  give  shelter  to  the  outcast,1  —  the  same 
lesson  that  was  taught  by  the  Christian  Apostle  when 
he  said,  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and 
the  father  is  this  :  to  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in 
their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the 
world."2 

But  perhaps  the  greatest  and  most  blessed  effect  of 
the  captivity  upon  the  true  Israelites  was  the  new  con- 
ception which  it  gave  them  of  the  power  and  value  of 
simple,  earnest,  personal  prayer.  The  visible  mercy- 
seat  had  been  taken  from  them.  The  ark  with  its 
golden  cherubim  had  been  lost  forever  in  the  confusion 
of  their  national  downfall.  Nevermore  should  incense 
be  offered  before  that  mystic  symbol  of  the  Divine  pres- 
ence. But  now  it  seems  as  if  necessity  were  driving 
them  home  upon  the  great  truth  that  the  reality  of  that 
presence  is  not  dependent  upon  any  symbol,  that  God 
is  everywhere,  and  that  the  aspiration  of  the  human 
soul,  rising  in  grateful  adoration  or  earnest  supplica- 
tion, is  the  true  token  of  the  morning  and  evening 
sacrifice,  the  sweetest  incense  and  the  most  acceptable 
offering.  Prayer  becomes  the  vital  breath  of  religion, 
the  native  air  which  the  captives  carry  with  them  even 
1  I*  Iviii.  7.  a  James  i.  27. 


THE  PRAISE   OF  PRAYER  193 

in  their  exile.  The  three  children  in  the  fiery  furnace 
are  saved  by  prayer.  Daniel,  the  faithful  worshipper, 
prays  thrice  a  day  in  his  chamber,  with  his  window 
open  towards  Jerusalem.  He  prays  in  the  lions'  den 
and  the  mouths  of  the  fierce  beasts  are  stopped.  Prayer 
is  the  believer's  comfort  and  support,  his  weapon  of 
defence,  his  light  in  darkness,  his  companionship  in 
solitude,  his  fountain  in  the  desert,  his  hope  and  his 
deliverance.  And  prayer  is  finally  the  means  by  which 
the  captivity  is  turned  again,  and  the  exiles  restored  to 
their  desired  home. 

This  one  hundred  and  seventh  psalm  was  written,  in 
all  probability,  just  after  the  close  of  the  captivity, 
when  the  Hebrews  had  come  back  to  their  dear  country. 
And  if  we  are  seeking  a  name  for  it  we  can  find  none 
so  appropriate  as  "  The  Praise  of  Prayer."  For  this 
is  the  theme  with  which  it  is  concerned  and  the  spirit 
with  which  it  is  filled.  One  after  another  the  beautiful 
pictures  of  praying  men  and  their  great  deliverances 
rise  in  the  psalmist's  verse.  We  see  the  Divine  mercy 
flowing  down  to  meet  the  human  supplications ;  and 
the  refrain  which  comes  back  again  and  again  is  this : 

"  Then  they  cried  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble 
"  And  he  delivered  them  out  of  their  distresses." 

"  Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness, 
"  And  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men."  1 

The  first  three  verses  of  the  psalm  refer  especially  to 
the  restoration  of  the  Jews  from  Babylon.  If  any  one 
ought  to  have  a  deep  and  lively  sense  of  the  Divine 

1  Jer.  xxxiii.  11. 


194  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

goodness,  it  was  the  people  whom  Jehovah  had  "  re- 
deemed from  the  hand  of  the  adversary,  and  gathered 
from  the  lands  "  of  their  dispersion.1 

Then  the  psalm  takes  a  wider  sweep,  and  begins,  in 
the  fourth  verse,  to  describe  the  power  of  prayer  in  the 
most  varied  scenes  of  human  life,  and  the  readiness  of 
God  to  deliver  those  who  call  upon  Him  from  every 
form  of  trouble. 

First,  we  see  a  caravan  of  pilgrims  wandering  in  the 
desert,  losing  their  way,  and  almost  perishing  of  hunger 
and  thirst.  They  pray  for  guidance,  and  God  brings 
them  into  the  right  road  and  leads  them  to  a  city  of 
habitation.  This  reminds  us  of  the  story  of  Hagar  and 
Ishmael,2  and  of  the  forty  years'  journeying  of  the 
Israelites  in  the  wilderness. 

Then,  in  the  tenth  verse,  we  see  a  group  of  prison- 
ers in  darkness  and  bondage.  Their  limbs  are  chained 
with  iron,  their  hearts  are  fettered  with  affliction. 
They  pray  for  liberty,  and  God  breaks  their  bonds  and 
brings  them  out  of  the  prison-house.  This  reminds  us 
of  Israel  in  Egypt,  of  Jeremiah  in  his  dungeon,  of 
Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions,  of  Peter  in  prison  at  Jeru- 
salem, and  Paul  and  Silas  at  Philippi.3 

The  seventeenth  verse  begins  a  new  picture.  And 
this  time  it  is  a  company  of  foolish  men,  who  are  over- 
taken with  disease  in  consequence  of  their  transgres- 
sion. They  are  filled  with  loathing  and  disgust  for  all 
manner  of  food ;  they  turn  away  from  the  things  which 

1  la.  xliii.  5,  6.  2  Gen.  xxi.  15-20. 

8  Ex.  ii.  13 ;  Jer.  mviii.  6-13 ;  Dan.  vi.  16-23 ;  Acts,  xii.  1-12 ;  xvi. 
23-34. 


THE  PRAISE   OF  PRAYER  195 

once  delighted  them,  and  feel  themselves  swiftly  ap- 
proaching the  door  of  death.  Then  they  cry  for  mercy, 
and  God  hears  them.  Their  life  is  spared,  their  health 
restored,  and  they  are  saved  from  their  graves.  This 
reminds  us  of  the  story  of  Naaman,  and  of  Hezekiah, 
and  of  the  lepers  who  were  healed  by  Christ.1 

In  the  twenty-third  verse  the  psalmist  turns  to  the 
ocean,  and  gives  us  that  wonderful  description  of  a 
storm  which  makes  us  see  that  at  some  time  he  must 
have  gone  through  a  like  experience.  We  watch  the 
ship  hovering  upon  the  lofty  mountains  of  water  and 
plunging  headlong  into  the  slippery  gulfs.  She  seems 
first  about  to  touch  the  stars,  and  then  about  to  bury 
herself  in  the  depths  of  darkness.  Her  sailors  reel  to 
and  fro,  their  hearts  seem  to  be  dissolved  in  distress. 
They  are  at  the  end  of  all  resources.2  Then  arises  the 
familiar  cry,  "  Lord  save  us,  we  perish."  The  storm 
sinks  into  a  gentle  air,  the  waves  are  still,  and  the  ship 
glides  quietly  and  joyfully  into  the  desired  haven.  This 
reminds  us  of  the  disciples  on  the  sea  of  Galilee,  or  of 
Paul  tossed  by  the  tempestuous  winds  upon  the  waters 

1  2  Kings,  v.  1-14 ;  xx.  1-11 ;  St.  Matt.  viii.  2,  3. 

2  '  The  swelling  surges  climb  the  sky ; 
'  The  shattered  oars  in  splinters  fly ; 

'  The  prow  turns  round,  and  to  the  tide 
'  Lays  broad  and  bare  the  vessel's  side ; 
'  On  comes  a  billow,  mountain-steep, 
'  Bears  down,  and  tumbles  in  a  heap. 
'  These  stagger  on  the  billow's  crest ; 
'  Those  to  the  yawning  depth  deprest 
'  See  land  appearing  'mid  the  waves, 
'  While  surf  with  sand  in  turmoil  raves." 

,  Book  I.,  Conington's  Translation. 


196  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

of  the  Mediterranean,  yet  coming  with  all  his  company 
safe  to  land.1 

In  the  thirty-third  verse  the  structure  of  the  psalm 
is  altered.  The  prayers  of  men  in  distress  give  place 
to  a  description  of  the  sovereign  dealings  of  God  in 
providence.  We  see  Him  transforming  the  face  of 
the  earth,  changing  the  land  of  rivers  into  a  wilder- 
ness and  covering  the  fruitful  region  with  barrenness, 
because  of  the  wickedness  of  the  inhabitants  ;  and  then 
we  see  Him  restoring  the  fertility  of  the  desolate  coun- 
try and  causing  His  people  to  dwell  there  in  peace 
and  plenty.  He  sends  a  blessing  of  abundance  upon 
them  so  that  they  multiply  greatly ;  and  again  they  are 
wasted  and  brought  low  through  oppression,  evil,  and 
sorrow.  Princes  are  cast  down  and  driven  forth  into 
exile.  Poor  men  are  lifted  up  and  their  families  in- 
crease like  a  prosperous  flock.  Before  these  works  of 
Jehovah  the  righteous  rejoice,  but  iniquity  is  struck 
dumb  with  astonishment. 

"  Who  is  wise  that  he  should  observe  these  things 

"And  that  they  should  understand  the  loving-kindness  of  Jehovah."  2 

This,  then,  is  the  great  lesson  of  experience,  the 
fruit  of  wisdom,  the  result  of  a  clear  and  careful  ob- 
servation of  life,  —  to  "  understand  the  loving-kind- 
ness of  the  Lord." 

First,  to  recognize  that  His  loving-kindness  is  sov- 
ereign, that  it  is  a  royal  attribute  far  above  human 
controL  He  doeth  His  will  among  the  hosts  of  heaven 

1  St.  Mark  iv.  35-41 ;  Acts  zxvii. 

2  I  have  followed  here  the  translation  of  Perowne  in  preference  to  th« 
Revised  Version. 


THE  PRAISE   OF  PRAYER  197 

and  among  the  inhabitants  of  earth.  There  is  none 
among  His  creatures  that  can  bind  or  compel  him. 
The  laws  of  nature  are  but  the  expression  of  His  good 
pleasure,  and  the  forces  of  society  bend  obediently  to 
His  purposes.  The  history  of  mankind  is  the  unfold- 
ing of  His  great  designs,  and  everything  that  happens 
is  subject  to  His  authority.  This  is  the  first  element 
in  a  true  understanding  of  His  loving-kindness,  and 
we  cannot  even  begin  to  pray  aright  until  we  realize 
that  God  is  supreme  and  omnipotent. 

The  second  element  in  this  understanding  is  the 
knowledge  of  His  righteousness.  He  hath  mercy  for 
the  penitent  and  judgment  for  the  proud.  He  sends 
blessings  to  the  lowly  and  punishments  to  the  rebel- 
lious. He  deals  with  men  according  to  their  char- 
acters, and  orders  the  course  of  human  affairs  as  a  wise 
and  holy  God,  with  continual  regard  to  the  moral  wel- 
fare of  His  creatures.  It  would  be  strange  indeed  if 
He  answered  the  prayer  of  the  wicked  as  readily  as  He 
hears  the  supplication  of  the  good.  And  it  would  be 
still  more  strange  if  we  could  not  see  in  the  operations 
of  His  providence  the  proofs  of  His  favour  toward 
those  who  love  and  serve  Him.  It  is  true  that  in 
many  of  the  workings  of  nature  He  scatters  gifts  with 
a  lavish  hand,  and  "  maketh  the  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil 
and  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  the  un- 
just." 1  But  in  the  effect  of  these  gifts  upon  those  who 
receive  them  the  operation  of  His  moral  law  is  manifest. 
Prosperity  is  the  destruction  of  the  wicked,  and  adver- 
sity is  the  salt  of  the  righteous.  Luxury  eats  out  the 
1  St.  Matt.  v.  45. 


198  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

life  of  the  ungodly  nation,  and  hardships  strengthen 
the  fibre  and  secure  the  permanence  of  the  people  that 
obey  the  Lord.  In  the  hands  of  the  unrighteous  the 
fairest  land  becomes  a  desert ;  in  the  hands  of  the  up- 
right the  desert  buds  and  blossoms  like  the  rose.  It  is 
to  those  who  acknowledge  His  goodness  and  obey  His 
law  that  the  ear  of  the  Lord  is  ever  attentive.1  It  is 
the  effectual  prayer  of  the  righteous  man  that  availeth 
much.2  If  we  want  God  to  listen  to  us  we  must  first 
submit  our  hearts  to  Him. 

The  third  element  in  a  true  understanding  of  Hig 
loving-kindness  is  that  He  manifests  it  in  answer  to 
prayer.  We  must  ask  if  we  would  receive,  we  must 
seek  if  we  would  find.  We  must  knock  if  we  desire 
to  have  the  door  of  heaven  opened  to  us. 

Prayer  is  something  that  no  man  can  understand  •, 
there  is  a  mystery  about  it.  We  cannot  explain  how 
the  voice  of  a  mortal  creature  should  have  any  influ- 
ence upon  the  immortal  God ;  how  there  should  be  any 
connection  between  the  supplications  which  are  wrung 
from  our  hearts  by  the  pressure  of  want  and  danger 
and  the  fulfilment  of  those  vast  designs  which  have 
been  formed  from  all  eternity.  But  however  that  may 
be,  prayer  is  an  instinct  of  the  human  heart,  and  the 
religion  which  did  not  provide  for  it  would  be  no  re- 
ligion at  all. 

Suppose  for  a  moment  that  you  were  convinced  that 
it  was  of  no  use  for  you  to  cry  out  to  God  in  the  hour  of 
your  distress.  When  great  peril  comes  upon  you  and 
death  is  near,  the  plea  for  rescue  is  silenced  upon  youi 

*  Ps.  xxxiv.  15,  2  Jame.  v.  16. 


THE  PRAISE   OF  PRAYER  199 

tips.  When  sickness  enters  your  household  and  one 
whom  you  love  is  slipping  away  from  you,  you  are  for- 
bidden to  tell  God,  forbidden  to  appeal  to  Him  for 
mercy.  What  would  your  religion  be  worth  to  you  ? 
Would  you  not  sell  it  all  for  just  one  chance  to  speak 
to  your  Heavenly  Father  and  ask  Him  to  help  you  ? 

Let  us  not  be  deceived  into  exchanging  Christianity 
for  a  cold  philosophy  about  God  and  destiny.  Let  no 
one  persuade  us  that  our  religion  can  possibly  survive 
without  prayer.  For  the  essence  of  the  Bible  is  that 
there  is  a  prayer-hearing  and  a  prayer-answering  God. 
His  servants  have  ever  turned  to  him  in  the  day  of 
their  need,  and  He  has  wrought  great  deliverance  for 
them.  Not  always  in  the  way  that  they  have  expected, 
for  that  would  be  to  make  the  Divine  wisdom  subject 
to  human  ignorance.  But  always  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  them  the  substance  of  His  mercy,  and  to  prove 
that  an  earnest,  faithful  prayer  has  never  been  offered 
without  bringing  down  a  blessing. 

It  is  no  valid  objection  to  this  to  say  that  the  Bible 
itself  teaches  that  all  things  are  foreordained  in  the 
wise  counsel  of  God  before  they  come  to  pass.  For 
this  only  carries  us  back  into  the  region  of  the  infinite 
quantities,  where  all  our  logic  is  at  fault.  If  the  event 
is  predetermined,  so  also  may  be  the  prayer.  It  may 
be  the  connecting  link  in  the  chain.  And  since  we 
cannot  tell  beforehand  what  God  will  do,  it  would  be 
just  as  foolish  to  say  that  He  will  send  the  deliverance 
whether  we  ask  for  it  or  not,  as  it  would  be  to  say  that 
He  will  send  the  harvest  without  the  seed,  or  the  rain 
without  the  cloud. 


200  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Nor  does  the  fact  that  he  employs  natural  causes  and 
agencies  in  the  answers  to  prayer,  destroy  its  reality 
or  decrease  its  necessity.  "  Thus  for  instance  we  pray 
that  the  cholera  or  murrain  may  be  stayed.  God  does 
not  with  His  own  hand  take  away  the  plague ;  but  He 
puts  it  into  the  heart  of  some  physician  to  find  the 
remedy  which  will  remove  it.  He  does  not  hush  the 
storm  in  a  moment ;  but  He  gives  the  mariner  courage 
and  skill  to  steer  before  it  till  he  reach  the  haven. 
He  does  not  shower  bread  from  heaven  in  a  famine; 
but  he  teaches  the  statesman  how,  with  wise  fore- 
thought and  patient  endeavours,  at  least  to  mitigate 
the  calamity.  .  .  .  And  thus  the  answer  comes,  not 
by  direct  interference  with  the  laws  of  nature,  but  in 
accordance  with  the  laws  of  the  spiritual  world,  by  the 
Divine  action  on  the  heart  of  man."1 

There  is  something  in  all  this  which  we  cannot  com- 
prehend or  explain ;  and  something,  also,  which  it 
seems  very  simple  to  comprehend  and  explain  by  the 
mere  processes  of  natural  law.  But  neither  the  mystery 
nor  the  simplicity  should  shake  our  faith  in  the  power 
of  prayer.  For  though  our  theories  may  be  at  fault, 
doubtless  our  practice  will  be  right,  and  our  hearts  will 
be  at  peace,  if  we  follow  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  pray  without  ceasing. 

1 J.  J.  Stewart  Perowue,  The  Feast  of  Harvest,  p.  19. 


XV 

THE  NEW  TEMPLE 

PSALM  CXVI1I 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE 


WHEN  the  Persian  Cyrus  had  conquered  the  land  of 
the  Chaldeans  and  overthrown  with  one  swift  stroke 
the  proud  Babylonian  empire,  universal  joy  filled  the 
hearts  of  the  children  of  Israel.  They  recognized  in 
this  mighty  monarch  of  the  north,  the  anointed  prince 
whom  Jehovah  had  sent  to  avenge  their  shame  and 
put  an  end  to  their  bondage.  And  when  the  decree l 
was  published  which  declared  that  the  Hebrews  were 
free  to  return  to  their  own  country,  and  pledged  the 
assistance  of  the  Persian  empire  to  the  restoration  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Temple,  then  were 
the  exiles  "  as  them  that  dream."  2  So  wonderful  was 
their  deliverance  that  they  could  hardly  believe  that  it 
was  real.  Then  was  their  tongue  filled  with  laughter 
and  their  mouth  with  singing.  The  fountains  of  sacred 
music  which  had  been  sealed  so  long,  or  had  sent  out 
only  the  plaintive,  trickling  songs  of  woe,  were  opened 
again,  and  many  beautiful  psalms  gushed  forth  from 
the  soul  of  the  liberated  people. 

But  we  must  not  forget  that  there  were  elements  of 
sadness  mingled  with  their  joy.  They  were  emanci- 
pated from  captivity,  but  they  were  not  yet  delivered 

1  2  Chron.  xxxvi.  22,  23.  2  Psalm  cxxvL 


204  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

from  trouble.     They  had  permission  to  go  back  to  the 
promised  land,  but  the  way  thither  was  long  and  peril- 
ous, and  the  prospect  of  their  arrival  was  full  of  hard- 
ship and  danger.     It  may  have  been  owing  to  these 
discouragements,  as  well  as  to  the  attachment  which 
many  of  the  Jews  had  formed  to  the  country  in  which 
they  had  been  living  for  two  generations,  that  so  small 
a  proportion  of  the  whole  people  availed  themselves  of 
the  liberty  which  Cyrus  had  granted.      The  Book  of 
Ezra  gives  us  the  exact  number  of  the  great  caravan 
which  set  out,  under  the  leadership  of  Prince  Zerubba- 
bel,  to  restore  the  glory  of  Zion  and  replant  the  waste 
places  of  Judah.     They  were  forty-two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty  souls,  beside  their  slaves,  of  whom 
there  were  seven  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven.1     For  this  company,  including  doubtless  the  old 
and  the  young,  women  and  children,  there  were  eight 
thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-six  beasts  of  burden, 
horses  and  mules,  camels  and  asses  ;    and  so,  as  the 
number  of  the  people  was  six  times  that  of  the  animals, 
we  may  be  sure  that  for  most  of  the  pilgrims  the  jour- 
ney home  was  a  long  walk.     Four  months  it  took  them 
to  cross  the  desert,2  which  was  exposed  then,  as  now, 
to  the  fierce  raids  of  robber  tribes,  and  almost  entirely 
destitute  of  water  and  pasturage.     It  can  hardly  be 
that  the  courage  of  the  returning  exiles  was  not  often 
sorely  tried  and  their  heart  cast  down  within  them. 
They  were  going  home ;  but  how  desolate  and  forsaken 
would  be  the  land  after  its  years  of  desertion.     They 
were  carrying  with  them  the  golden  vessels  of  the 
1  Ez.  ii.  64-68.  2  Ez.  viL  8,  9. 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  205 

Temple,  which  the  generous  Cyrus  had  restored  to  their 
possession  ; l  but  they  had  no  place  to  put  these  sacred 
relics,  for  the  House  which  they  once  adorned  had  been 
overthrown  and  blotted  out  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Of  a  truth,  these  pilgrims  "  went  forth  weeping,  bear- 
ing precious  seed." 

And  when  at  length  they  arrived,  the  aspect  of  their 
country  must  have  been  most  disheartening.  The  city  of 
their  pride  and  love  was  dismantled,  her  walls  broken, 
her  palaces  plundered  and  destroyed,  her  streets  silent 
and  ruinous.  The  smiling  beauty  and  fertility  of  the 
land  had  vanished.  It  was  cultivated  only  by  the  rem- 
nant of  the  people,  and  in  many  regions  the  scanty  in- 
habitants, mixed  with  heathen  vagrants,  had  sunken 
into  a  state  of  semi-barbarism.  The  ancient  enemies  of 
Israel,  the  Moabites  on  the  east,  the  Philistines  on  the 
west,  the  fierce  and  treacherous  sons  of  Edom  on  the 
south,  had  encroached  upon  the  former  possessions  of 
the  chosen  people  from  every  side,  and  on  the  north 
the  mongrel  Samaritans  were  established  in  the  very 
centre  of  the  fairest  portion  of  the  land.  The  pres- 
ence of  these  confused  and  hostile  neighbours  must  have 
been  a  continual  menace  to  the  security  of  life  and 
property;  and  even  within  the  narrow  strip  of  territory 
which  remained  open  for  the  occupation  of  the  restored 
exiles,  it  must  have  been  extremely  difficult  for  them  tc 
settle  themselves  in  anything  like  peace  and  comfort. 

This  was  the  first  task  which  lay  before  them,  and 
accordingly  they  scattered  to  their  cities,2  each  family 
returning  as  far  as  possible  to  its  native  district,  like  a 
i  Ez.  i.  7.  2  Neb.  vii.  6. 


206  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

salmon  to  its  river,  and  busied  themselves  with  setting 
up  their  new  homes.  But  before  seven  months  had 
passed,  so  deep  and  loyal  was  their  devotion  to  the 
chief  object  of  their  return,  and  so  ardent  their  desire 
for  the  restoration  of  Zion,  we  find  all  Israel  gathered 
together,  as  one  man,  to  Jerusalem.1  First  they  restored 
the  altar  of  Jehovah  on  the  sacred  spot  where  it  had 
been  built  by  David,  five  centuries  before.2  Then  they 
renewed  the  sacrificial  offerings  and  the  observance  of 
the  feasts.3  And  then  they  began  the  collection  of 
money  and  workmen  and  materials  for  the  rebuilding 
of  the  Temple.4  It  is  difficult  for  us  to  realize  the 
depth  of  affection  for  the  House  of  God  which  is  ex- 
pressed by  such  a  resolve  and  such  an  effort,  under  the 
circumstances  in  which  the  Jews  were  placed.  They 
were  most  of  them  poor,  many  of  them,  perhaps,  still 
houseless.  Even  those  who  had  brought  wealth  with 
them  from  Babylon  must  have  had  innumerable  calls  to 
use  it  in  the  general  poverty,  and  many  opportunities  to 
invest  it  to  the  best  advantage  in  schemes  for  the  devel- 
opment of  the  country.  But  they  recognized  that  re- 
ligion had  the  first  call,  and  that  the  erection  of  the 
House  of  God  was  the  best  investment.  Other  wants 
could  go  unsatisfied  ;  other  enterprises  could  wait ;  the 
first  thing  that  they  desired  to  do  was  to  restore  the 
Sanctuary. 

One  year  after  the  erection  of  the  altar,  they  were 
ready  to  lay  the  foundations  of  the  new  Temple.6 
There  vras  a  great  assembly  of  the  people  ;  the  priests 

1  Ez.  iii.  i.  « Ib.  3.  » Ib.  4. 

« Ib.  7.  *  Ib.  8-13. 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  207 

were  there  in  sacred  robes,  blowing  their  silver  trum- 
pets ;  the  sons  of  Asaph,  clashing  their  cymbals  and 
singing  their  cheerful  psalms.  The  heavy  corner-stone 
was  moved  into  its  place  amid  the  sound  of  music,  and 
the  shout  of  joy  rang  out  to  heaven  when  the  people 
saw  that  the  foundation  of  the  House  of  the  Lord  was 
laid. 

But  how  close  together  are  the  fountains  of  grief  and 
gladness  !  How  often  the  flood  of  tears  mingles  with 
the  stream  of  rejoicing!  The  festival  which  is  all 
brightness  to  the  young,  brings  to  the  old,  memories  of 
loss  and  sadness.  Christmas  and  Thanksgiving  Day, 
with  all  their  merriment  and  laughter,  awaken  echoes 
in  the  house,  in  the  heart,  which  whisper  "Nevermore;" 
and  the  joy  of  the  present  seems  to  fade  and  grow  dull 
compared  with  the  joy  that  has  departed.  The  past 
wins 

"  A  glory  from  its  being  far, 
"  And  orbs  into  the  perfect  star 
"  We  saw  not  when  we  moved  therein." l 

It  was  so  on  that  day  of  praise  in  Jerusalem.  "  For 
many  of  the  priests  and  Levites  and  chief  of  the  fa- 
thers, who  were  ancient  men,  that  had  seen  the  first 
house,  when  the  foundation  of  this  house  was  laid  be- 
fore their  eyes,  wept  with  a  loud  voice."  2  Reverence 
their  tears.  It  is  true  that  this  new  house  was  des- 
tined to  be  twice  as  large  as  the  old  one.  It  is  true 
also  that  for  the  city  and  the  nation  this  was  a  day  of 
triumph  and  hope.  But  for  these  survivors  of  a  for- 
mer generation  there  could  never  be  any  building  that 

1  Tennyson,  In  Memoriam.  2  Ez.  iii.  12. 


208  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

would  take  the  place  of  that  lost  Temple,  which  they 
saw  transfigured  in  the  misty  memory  of  their  early 
childhood,  nor  could  they  refrain  from  weeping  when 
they  thought  that  it  was  gone. 

There  are  two  ways  of  showing  attachment  to  the 
past.  One  is  by  sneering  at  the  present,  finding  fault 
with  every  new  effort,  holding  back  from  every  new 
enterprise,  and  making  odious  comparisons  an  excuse 
for  inaction.  There  have  always  been  some  people 
of  this  kind  in  the  world.  If  there  were  very  many 
of  them  the  world  would  probably  cease  to  revolve. 
They  are  the  old  men  of  the  sea,  the  heavy  weights 
whom  the  workers  have  to  carry  along  with  them. 

But  the  other  way  of  honouring  the  past  is  kind  and 
generous  and  beautiful.  It  pays  grateful  tribute  to 
the  beauty  that  has  faded,  and  the  glory  that  lives  only 
in  remembrance.  It  preserves  the  good  things  of  for- 
mer days  from  oblivion,  and  praises  the  excellent  of 
earth  by  keeping  their  memory  green.  It  is  faithful 
and  true,  willing  to  learn,  but  not  willing  to  forget. 
It  drops  a  tear  for  the  departed  splendour  of  the  first 
house,  and  at  the  same  time  it  lends  a  hand  in  the 
building  of  the  new  house.  Fortunate  is  the  com- 
munity, and  complete  the  festival,  in  which  this  spirit 
prevails ;  for  there  the  old  and  the  young  are  in  har- 
mony, though  not  in  unison,  and  the  bright  hopes  of 
the  future  are  mellowed  and  chastened  by  contact  with 
the  loyal  memories  of  the  past. 

But  the  prospect  of  promise  which  is  disclosed  to  us 
in  these  early  months  of  the  Restoration  is  soon  over- 
cast by  the  clouds  of  trouble.  The  Samaritans,  jealous 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  209 

and  angry  because  their  assistance  in  the  rebuilding  of 
the  Temple  had  been  refused  by  the  wise  Zerubbabel, 
began  to  harass  the  Jews  and  hinder  them  in  their 
work.1  False  accusers  were  sent  to  the  Persian  court 
to  represent  the  dangers  that  would  follow  the  renewal 
of  the  former  strength  and  beauty  of  Jerusalem.  It 
was  asserted  that  the  pretended  zeal  of  the  Jews  for 
their  Temple  was  only  a  cover  for  rebellious  designs. 
The  Persian  satraps  were  alarmed.  Intrigues  were  set 
on  foot  and  slanders  were  multiplied.  The  heathen 
tribes  and  the  mixed  inhabitants  of  Palestine  "  weak- 
ened the  hands  of  the  men  of  Judah  and  troubled 
them  in  building."  An  interdict  came  from  the  king, 
and  for  twelve  years  the  work  of  restoration  lingered, 
and  confusion  reigned  in  Jerusalem.2 

Then  a  new  monarch  ascended  the  throne  of  Persia, 
the  great  Darius,  a  worthy  successor  of  Cyrus.  In  the 
second  year  of  his  reign  two  new  prophets  appeared 
in  Jerusalem :  Haggai  and  Zechariah  ;  and  their  mis- 
sion was  to  rouse  the  people  from  the  lethargy  which 
had  fallen  upon  them  in  the  years  of  confusion,  and 
summon  them  to  the  great  work  of  rebuilding  God's 
house.  Their  zeal  had  grown  cold.  Their  offerings 
were  withheld.  They  had  come  to  think  more  of  their 
own  comfort  and  prosperity  than  of  their  religious 
obligations.  Selfish  cowardice,  and  avarice,  and  the 
love  of  luxury  were  relaxing  the  moral  sinews  of  the 
people.  They  were  covering  their  neglect  under  the 
hypocritical  pretence  of  a  strict  regard  for  prophecy. 
The  seventy  years,  according  to  their  reckoning,  were 
i  Ez.  iv.  1-5.  2  Ez.  iv.  17-24 


210  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

not  yet  past,  and  they  said,  "  The  time  is  not  come  that 
the  Lord's  house  should  be  built."1  It  is  easy  to 
make  the  doctrine  of  predestination  a  cloak  for  apathy, 
and  to  find  in  scriptural  figures  an  excuse  for  negli- 
gence. But  the  prophet  struck  through  this  vain  pre- 
text with  a  single  blow.  "  Is  this  a  time,"  cried  he, 
"  for  you  to  dwell  in  ceiled  houses  while  the  Temple 
lies  desolate?  You  are  seeking  your  own  gain,  you 
are  looking  for  much  for  yourselves  ;  but  it  shall  come 
to  little.  The  heaven  shall  withhold  its  dew  and  the 
earth  its  fruit ;  your  wages  shall  be  put  into  a  bag 
with  holes ;  there  shall  be  no  blessing  upon  you  until 
you  bring  wood  and  build  the  House  that  the  Lord 
may  take  pleasure  in  it  and  be  glorified."  This  is  the 
voice  of  wisdom  for  every  community  of  men.  Pub- 
lic work  must  take  precedence  of  private  interests. 
Religious  duty  must  override  selfish  considerations. 
The  place  of  worship  for  the  people  must  be  built  be- 
fore the  wealthy  have  a  right  to  dwell  in  their  comfort- 
able houses. 

The  people  of  Jerusalem  heard  the  warning  and  an- 
swered the  summons.2  Treasure  began  to  flow  in  for 
the  Temple.  The  work  was  taken  up  and  pushed  for- 
ward with  new  energy.  Darius,  on  the  appeal  of  the 
Jewish  leaders,  removed  the  injunction  and  favoured 
the  undertaking.3  He  contributed  from  the  royal  rev- 
enues to  support  the  builders,  and  made  provision  for 
the  offering  of  the  daily  sacrifices.  And  thus,  in  the 
sixth  year  of  his  reign,  the  second  Temple  stood  com- 
plete upon  Mount  Moriah. 

1  Hag.  i  2.  a  Hag.  i.  12.  «  Ez.  vi.  6-12. 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  211 

It  was  greater  in  size  than  the  Temple  of  Solomon, 
but  less  in  splendour.  The  golden  ornaments,  the 
carven  pillars,  the  embroidered  hangings,  were  not  so 
magnificent.  The  Holy  of  Holies  no  longer  contained 
the  Ark  with  its  bending  cherubim.  The  venerable 
tables  of  the  law,  the  mystic  rod  of  Aaron,  the  casket 
which  held  the  manna,  the  jewelled  breastplate  of  the 
High  Priest  with  its  Urim  and  Thummim,  were  lost 
never  to  be  found  again.  But  still  the  building  was 
grand  and  sacred.  It  stood  upon  the  very  spot  which 
had  been  consecrated  by  the  sacrifice  of  Abraham.  It 
was  the  Temple,  the  visible  centre  of  their  national  life 
and  worship,  the  House  of  God. 

Its  completion  was  celebrated  with  great  solemnity. 
The  priests  and  the  Levites  and  the  rest  of  the  children 
of  the  captivity  kept  the  dedication  with  joy.  Hun- 
dreds of  sacrifices  were  offered ;  and  as  a  token  that 
the  divided  children  of  Israel  had  at  length  been  re- 
united by  their  common  exile  and  their  common  resto- 
ration, twelve  goats  were  presented  as  a  sin-offering, 
one  for  each  of  the  twelve  tribes.1  It  was  the  festival 
of  peace  after  conflict,  of  calm  after  storm,  of  favour 
after  punishment.  And  as  the  multitude  thronged  to 
the  portals  of  this  new  Temple,  it  may  well  have  been 
the  music  of  this  one  hundred  and  eighteenth  Psalm 
that  accompanied  and  welcomed  them. 

"  O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord ;  for  he  is  good : 
"  For  his  mercy  endure th  forever." 

Thus  sang  the  people  :  and  the  priests  replied  :  — 

"  Let  Israel  now  say 

"  That  his  mercy  endureth  forrror." 

1  Ez.  vi.  16,  17, 


212  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

And  the  people  answered  :  — 

"  Let  the  house  of  Aaron  now  say 
"  That  his  mercy  endureth  forever." 

And  the  priests  replied :  — 

"  Let  them  now  that  fear  the  Lord  say 
"  That  his  mercy  endureth  forever." 

Imagine  the  long  procession  chanting  their  praise  to 
Jehovah,  exulting  because  He  had  been  on  their  side, 
and  declaring  their  confidence  in  His  alliance,  magni- 
fying His  assistance  above  the  deceitful  help  of  princes, 
glorying  in  the  dispersion  of  the  enemies  who  had  com- 
passed them  about  like  swarms  of  bees,  and  whose  en- 
vious fury  had  been  quenched  as  a  fire  of  brambles, 
remembering  with  solemnity  their  sore  chastenings,  but 
rejoicing  that  they  had  not  been  given  over  unto  death, 
—  imagine  this  humble  and  triumphant  train  coming 
to  the  entrance  of  their  Sanctuary,  and  crying,  — 

"  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  righteousness ; 

"  I  will  enter  into  them,  I  will  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord." 

And  then  hear  the  priests  and  Levites,  singing  as  they 
throw  wide  the  golden  doors,  — 

"  This  is  the  gate  of  the  Lord, 

"  The  righteous  shall  enter  into  it" 

" Hosanna!  Save  now!  "  rings  again  and  again  through 
the  marble  courts.  Blessings  flow  and  return,  in  joyous 
antiphon,  from  priests  to  people,  and  from  people  to 
priests.  The  sacrifices  are  bound  to  the  great  altar. 
The  swelling  tide  of  music  lifts  itself  once  more  in  a 
mighty  billow  of  praise. 

"  O  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord ;  for  he  is  good ; 
"  For  his  mercy  endureth  forever." 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  213 

There  are  many  verses  in  this  psalm  on  which  we 
might  profitably  fix  our  attention  for  the  lessons  which 
they  contain.  But  there  is  one  which  has  a  peculiar 
interest  from  its  close  connection  with  the  life  of  Christ, 
and  from  the  fact  that  He  quoted  it  in  application  to 
Himself. 

"  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
"  Is  become  the  head  stone  of  the  corner." 

It  may  be  that  we  have  here  an  allusion  to  some  well- 
known  incident  that  had  occurred  in  the  progress  of 
the  building.1  A  fragment,  perhaps,  of  the  ancient 
Temple  was  rejected  by  the  architects  as  unfit  for  a 
prominent  position.  But  having  been  put  in  place  by 
the  advice  of  the  priests,  it  was  found  to  be  the  most 
appropriate  and  useful  of  all  the  pieces  of  the  wall,  — 
the  head  stone  which  bound  together  and  solidified  the 
whole  structure.  The  people  must  have  seen  in  this 
event  a  type  of  their  own  history,  —  their  ruin,  their 
rejection,  the  contempt  with  which  the  nations  had  re- 
garded them,  and  the  proud  and  firm  position  in  which 
the  Divine  architect  had  now  placed  them. 

But  if  this  stone  was  a  type  of  Israel,  much  more 
was  it  a  type  of  Christ.  For  He  was  indeed  "  despised 
and  rejected  of  men ; "  His  own  people  would  have 
none  of  Him ;  they  cast  Him  out  and  scorned  Him. 
But  God,  who  builds  in  secret  and  according  to  His 
own  eternal  plan,  had  chosen  Him  for  the  corner-stone 
of  the  spiritual  Temple ;  and  upon  Him  the  lives  of 
the  redeemed,  whether  Jew  or  Gentile,  must  all  be 
built. 

1  Plumptre,  Biblical  Studies,  p.  275. 


214  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

"  The  Church's  one  foundation 
"  Is  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord." 

He  supports  it,  binds  it  together,  adorns  and  unifies  it 
Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay ;  and  on  this  founda- 
tion if  any  man  build  he  shall  be  saved.1 

When  our  Lord  repeated  this  ancient  prophecy  of 
Himself  in  the  last  week  of  His  earthly  life,2  while 
the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  were  gathering  about 
Him  to  destroy  His  life,  He  was  staying  Himself  with 
sublime  confidence  upon  the  "Word  of  God.  When 
again  in  the  quiet  of  the  upper  chamber,  before  He 
went  forth  to  His  betrayal,  He  sang  with  His  disciples 
this  very  psalm,3  it  must  have  been  the  strength  and 
joy  of  His  soul  to  remember  that  though  the  nation 
had  refused  Him,  God  would  use  Him  and  build  upon 
Him  the  glorious  fabric  of  the  Heavenly  Temple,  of 
which  the  successive  sanctuaries  built  upon  the  hill 
of  Zion  were  but  a  frail  and  perishable  type.  They 
have  crumbled  into  dust.  Not  one  stone  of  them  is 
left  upon  another.  But  the  Church  which  was  founded 
by  the  despised  Jesus  of  Nazareth  endures  impreg- 
nable, and  rises  steadily  towards  the  mystic  beauty  of 
its  perfection.  Stone  after  stone  is  added  to  it.  Life 
after  life  is  built  into  its  holy  walls.  Let  us  bring  our 
lives,  our  purest  thoughts,  our  best  desires,  our  noblest 
endeavours,  all  that  we  have  and  are,  that  God  may 
place  them  in  this  eternal  edifice.  For  be  assured  that 
no  other  structure  shall  continue.  Every  fabric  of 
man's  device,  yea,  even  the  scaffolding  and  supports 

1  1  Cor.  iii.  11,  12.  2  St.  Luke  xx.  17. 

•  A  part  of  the  great  Hallel. 


THE  NEW  TEMPLE  215 

which  now  surround  the  spiritual  Temple,  shall  be 
swept  away.  Only  the  souls  that  have  been  truly  built 
on  Jesus  Christ  shall  stand  fast,  and  be  filled  with  the 
presence  of  God  forever. 


XVI 

THE  CITY  AND  THE  HOME 

PSALMS  CXXVII-CXXVIII 


THE  CITY  AND  THE  HOME 


THESE  two  psalms  belong  to  that  series  of  fifteen 
which  are  connected  in  our  Psalter  by  the  common 
title  "A  Song  of  Degrees."  Various  explanations 
have  been  given  to  this  inscription,  turning,  for  the 
most  part,  upon  the  different  meanings  which  are 
assigned  to  the  word  "  Degrees."  I  will  not  trouble 
the  reader  with  these  more  or  less  learned  speculations, 
but  will  simply  say  that  the  interpretation  which  is 
followed  by  the  best  modern  scholars,  refers  the  word 
to  the  successive  stages  of  the  pilgrimage  which  the 
Jews  were  accustomed  to  make  thrice  every  year,  to  the 
Temple  on  Mount  Zion.  On  such  journeys  it  would 
be  natural  to  beguile  the  tedium  of  the  way,  or  to 
cheer  the  nightly  encampment,  by  the  singing  of  fa- 
miliar ballads.  The  "  singableness  "  of  these  fifteen 
psalms,  "  their  freshness,  their  brilliant  colour,  their 
allusions,  their  reflection  of  the  homely  phrase  and 
surrounding  of  the  folk,"  1  make  them  most  fit  for 
such  a  purpose.  And  we  may  feel  quite  sure  that  we 
have  here  a  brief  collection  of  the  popular  songs  which 
were  used  in  this  way,  —  "  Songs  of  the  Upgoings,"  or, 

1  Murray,  Origin  and  Growth  of  the  Psalms. 


220  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

as  they  have  been  called  by  one  of  our  best  expositors, 
"  Pilgrim  Psalms."  * 

Now  it  seems  to  me  by  no  means  an  accident  that 
the  one  hundred  and  twenty-seventh  and  the  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eighth  psalms  were  placed  together  in 
the  Travellers'  Hymn-book.  For  though  they  may  have 
been  written  in  different  centuries,  —  the  former,  if  we 
may  trust  the  title  and  the  indications  of  its  style,  being 
the  work  of  Solomon,  the  latter  coming  to  us  from 
an  unknown  hand  and  a  later  age,  —  yet  their  subject 
and  their  spirit  are  the  same,  and  they  belong  to  all 
time  and  every  condition  of  existence.  They  deal 
alike  with  the  broad  and  simple  theme  of  human  hap- 
piness in  the  family  and  in  the  community.  They 
present  to  us  a  clear  and  harmonious  picture  of  the 
well-ordered  life  of  man  upon  the  earth,  and  they  show 
that  religion  is  the  greatest  of  all  blessings,  for  the 
present  world,  as  well  as  for  that  which  is  to  come. 
They  are  ancient  and  modern,  human  and  divine. 
Ancient,  because  they  seem  to  bring  with  them  some- 
thing of  the  calm  and  peaceful  air  of  that  lost  Eden 
which  was  the  first  dwelling  of  our  race,  and  those 
homely  virtues  which  we  connect  with  the  simplicity  of 
the  golden  age.  Modern,  because  they  recognize  the 
social  impulse  which  has  been  drawing  and  binding 
the  households  of  men  together  in  tribes  and  nations 
and  great  cities,  teaching  them  to  feel  their  mutual  de- 
pendence and  their  common  interest,  and  creating,  in 
the  slow  but  sure  process  of  development,  that  vast 
complexity  of  advantages  and  perils  which  we  call 

1  Rev.  Samuel  Cox,  The  Pilgrim  Psalms.    London,  1874. 


THE  CITY  AND   THE  HOME  221 

Civilization.  Human,  because  they  spring  directly  out 
of  the  experiences  of  toil  and  rest  and  care  and  joy 
which  are  familiar  to  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
Adam.  Divine,  because  they  lead  us  back  to  God  as 
the  source  of  all  true  felicity,  and  show  us  the  streams 
of  His  goodness  flowing  down  through  all  the  fields  of 
human  life  to  make  them  fertile  and  beautiful. 

It  is  no  wonder  that,  among  the  many  exquisite 
poems  which  were  produced  in  Israel,  some  of  which 
have  doubtless  been  lost  and  forgotten  in  the  lapse  of 
centuries,  these  bright  and  simple  lyrics  were  thought 
worthy  of  preservation  and  continual  use  ;  for  the  best 
poetry,  the  most  enduring  and  the  most  popular,  is  that 
which  appeals  directly  to  plain  humanity  and  weaves 
the  threads  of  common  experience  into  a  garment  of 
beauty  for  the  daily  life.  It  is  no  wonder  that  these 
psalms  were  chosen  to  have  a  place  in  the  Psalter 
which  the  pilgrims  used  in  their  annual  journeys  to 
Jerusalem,  for  their  thoughts  must  have  often  turned 
forward  to  the  city  to  which  they  were  travelling, 
and  backward  to  the  quiet  homes  which  they  had 
left  for  a  season,  remembering  that  the  prosperity  of 
both  depended  upon  God.  And  it  is  no  wonder  that 
we  find  these  well-worn  songs  included  in  the  book 
which  we  call  the  Word  of  God,  for  in  truth  they  con- 
tain something  better  than  the  finest  poetry ;  they  are 
full  of  the  philosophy  of  life,  the  wisdom  which  cometh 
down  from  above ;  and  if  we  read  them  aright  we  shall 
learn  most  important  lessons  from  these  Songs  of  the 
City  and  the  Home. 

Glance  for  a  moment  at  their  structure,  and  observe 


222  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

the  clearness  and  charm  of  their  imagery.  They  are 
like  paintings  from  the  hand  of  one  of  the  old  mas- 
ters, —  like  some  of  those  delightful  and  priceless  in- 
teriors in  which  old  Pieter  de  Hooghe  excelled  all 
other  artists:  the  simplest  means  are  used  to  convey 
the  impression :  the  view  of  a  room  in  a  peasant's 
house  tells  the  whole  story  of  patient  labour  and  peace- 
ful joy.  But  these  poems  have  the  advantage  over  any 
painting,  in  that  they  can  pass  at  once  from  the  par- 
ticular to  the  general ;  they  can  show  us  at  the  same 
time  the  private  dwelling  and  the  multitude  of  cluster- 
ing homes  which  are  included  within  the  city ;  they  can 
move  forward  from  the  picture  of  simple  faith  and 
honest  toil,  to  trace  their  beneficent  results  in  the  years 
to  come. 

First,  we  see  the  builder  raising  the  walls  of  his 
house,  and  the  watchman  standing  upon  the  city  tower, 
keeping  guard  over  the  sleeping  thousands,  and  we  hear 
the  declaration  that  building  and  watching  are  in  vain 
without  the  favour  of  the  Lord. 

"  An  Gottes  Segen  1st  Alles  gelegen." 

Then,  we  see  the  labourer  going  forth  early  to  his 
work,  and  returning  late  to  eat  the  bread  which  he  has 
earned  in  the  sweat  of  his  brow  ;  and  we  are  reminded 
that  the  reward  of  all  industry  comes  from  God,  and 
comes  for  the  most  part  while  man  is  helpless  and  un- 
conscious. "  He  giveth  to  his  beloved  in  sleep,"  —  so 
runs  the  true  translation  of  the  second  verse ;  and  this 
tells  us  that  the  largest  blessings  are  conferred  upon  us 
"  without  our  restless  self -activity,  in  a  state  of  self-for- 
getf ulness  and  quiet  reliance  upon  the  Divine  goodness. 


THE   CITY  AND   THE  HOME  223 

4  God  bestows  his  gifts  during  the  night/  says  the  old 
German  proverb."1  Sleep  itself  is  a  great  blessing; 
and  while  we  sleep,  the  clouds  are  storing  their  supplies 
of  moisture,  the  rivers  are  performing  their  ministry  of 
labour  on  our  behalf,  the  seeds  are  swelling  in  the  earth, 
the  grain  is  springing  in  the  fields,  the  fruits  are  ripen- 
ing on  the  tree,  the  harvest  is  growing  golden  in  the 
mellow  darkness  of  the  autumn  night ;  for  in  truth,  if 
we  are  wise  and  diligent,  Nature  is  on  our  side,  and  all 
God's  world  is  busy  preparing  our  bread. 

From  this  thought  the  psalmist  passes  to  that  which 
was  considered  by  the  Hebrews  the  best  of  all  earthly 
gifts,  and  shows  us  the  picture  of  a  father  with  his 
loyal  and  stalwart  sons  about  him.  "  Children  of  the 
youth,"  he  calls  them :  meaning  thereby  to  give  a 
strong  and  sensible  commendation  to  early  marriage, 
and  to  teach  that  it  is  a  great  privilege  for  a  man  to 
have  his  children  grow  up  and  come  to  maturity  in  his 
own  house,  under  his  own  guidance ;  for  thus  he  can 
have  the  joy  of  seeing  them  established  in  life  before 
he  leaves  it,  and  their  strength  will  be  a  support  and 
stay  to  him  in  his  declining  years.  They  will  be  like 
arrows  in  his  hand,  whose  course  he  can  direct  so  that 
they  shall  hit  the  mark.  They  will  be  an  honour  and  a 
protection  to  him  ;  and  he  shall  not  be  ashamed  when 
he  stands,  with  his  sons  by  his  side,  among  the  throngs 
of  men  in  the  gates  of  the  city. 

The  transition  is  easy  from  this  scene  to  the  bright 
picture  of  domestic  felicity  in  the  next  psalm.  It  is 
only  the  continuation  of  the  same  story,  for  it  may 

1  Delitzsch  cm  the  Psalms,  vol.  iii.  p.  293. 


224  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

well  be  one  of  those  manly  sons  of  whom  we  have  just 
been  speaking,  the  descendant  of  an  honourable  house, 
the  pride  and  ornament  of  his  father's  old  age,  who  is 
described  as  "  the  man  that  feareth  the  Lord  and 
walketh  in  his  ways."  His  uprightness  and  his  indus- 
try are  well  rewarded.  He  becomes  the  founder  and 
supporter,  the  house-band,  as  the  good  Anglo-Saxon 
word  signifies,  of  a  new  family.  His  best  success,  his 
highest  dignity,  his  richest  treasures,  are  at  home.  His 
wife,  full  of  the  grace  and  delight  of  womanhood,  is 
"  like  a  fruitful  vine  in  the  inner  part  of  his  house." 
For  this  is  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  which  is  trans- 
lated "  by  the  sides  of  thine  house."  l  It  refers  not  to 
the  exterior,  but  to  the  interior,  walls,  and  it  teaches 
that  woman  is  formed  not  for  public  display,  but  to 
adorn  and  sweeten  the  private  life.  She  is  not  fitted 
for  the  rude  conflicts  of  the  market-place  and  the 
forum.  Her  sphere  is  in  the  home.2  And  she  best 
fulfils  her  mission  when  she  makes  that  home  lovel}* 
and  pleasant  to  those  who  dwell  in  it,  even  as  the  lux- 
uriant vine,  spreading  itself  upon  its  supports,  clothes 
them  with  beauty,  and  diffuses  a  grateful  shade,  a  fra- 
grant odour,  through  the  courts  of  the  house.  In  such 
a  home,  the  children,  well-nurtured  in  body  and  in  soul, 
spring  up  like  vigorous  young  olive-plants,  strong  and 
straight  and  healthy,  needing  to  be  pruned  now  and 
then  like  all  growing  things,  but  sound  at  heart  and 
full  of  promise  for  the  future. 

"  After  this  fashion,"  says  the  psalmist,  "  shall  the 
man  be  blessed  that  feareth  the  Lord."     And  surely 

1  The  same  word  is  used  in  Amos  vi.  10.          '2  Prov.  zzzi.  10-31. 


THE   CITY  AND   THE  HOME  225 

the  world  has  no  better  fashion  of  blessing,  though  the 
newspapers  be  ignorant  of  it  and  the  tongue  of  fame 
acknowledge  it  not.  For  in  such  a  home,  in  such  a 
wife,  in  such  children,  a  man  may  take  the  best  comfort 
to  be  found  this  side  of  heaven  ;  and  in  the  prevalence 
of  such  a  manner  of  life,  and  the  cultivation  of  such 
domestic  virtues,  lies  his  best  and  only  hope  of  seeing 
the  prosperity  of  the  city  in  which  he  dwells,  whether  it 
be  named  Jerusalem  or  New  York. 

These  are  old-fashioned  teachings,  and  they  run 
counter  to  many  of  the  accepted  theories  and  fash- 
ionable customs  of  the  day.  Men  draw  a  broad  line 
between  the  sacred  and  the  secular,  and  practically 
exclude  religion  from  the  political  and  social  life.  But 
the  Bible  tells  us  that  the  sacred  and  the  secular  are 
interwoven,  and  not  to  be  separated.  Men  draw  a 
broad  line  between  the  public  and  the  private,  and 
think  that  the  evils  of  society  can  be  cured  without 
paying  any  attention  to  the  virtues  of  the  household, 
or  that  the  purity  of  family  life  can  be  maintained 
without  regard  to  the  atmosphere  of  society.  But  the 
Bible  teaches  us  that  the  public  and  the  private  depend 
upon  each  other,  and  that  the  welfare  of  the  city  and 
the  welfare  of  the  home  are  bound  up  together.  There 
is  a  widespread  revolt  against  the  ancient  doctrine  of 
the  dependence  of  woman,  and  an  attempt  to  create  a 
new  sphere  for  her  activities,  where  she  may  become 
the  rival  of  man.  A  new  standard  of  behaviour  is  set 
up  for  her,  and  she,  or  at  least  a  certain  portion  of 
her,  claims  admiration  for  those  qualities  of  boldness, 
and  dash,  and  general  mannishness  which  were  once 


226  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

considered  the  greatest  faults  of  which  she  could  be 
guilty.  But  the  Bible  still  declares  that  modesty  is  her 
most  graceful  apparel,  and  a  quiet  and  home-keeping 
spirit  her  highest  excellence.1  She  will  gain  nothing, 
and  lose  much,  by  joining  the  Order  of  Gadabouts  and 
Busybodies.  In  her  children,  given  to  her  by  God  to 
be  reared  for  His  service,  and  for  noble,  useful  lives 
in  the  world,  she  is  to  find  her  pleasure  and  her  pride. 
When  she  shrinks  from  that  gift  as  an  incumbrance, 
fearing  that  to  have  children  will  hinder  her  in  the 
pursuit  of  amusement,  or  interfere  with  her  in  that 
toilsome  round  of  most  unsocial  observances  which  are 
sometimes  called  social  duties,  she  is  falling  far  below 
the  dignity  of  her  womanhood ;  she  is,  in  fact,  although 
unconsciously,  letting  herself  down  to  the  level  of  those 
whom  the  Romans,  with  sublime  sarcasm,  called  muli- 
eres  extranece  —  external  women,  —  because  their  lives 
were  outside,  excluded  by  their  own  choice  from  that 
interior  circle  of  the  home,  in  which  alone  the  true 
woman's  nature  puts  forth  its  sweetest  blossoms  and 
bears  its  best  fruits.  But  when  she  welcomes  her  chil- 
dren as  blessings,  and  is  proud  of  them,  as  the  Roman 
matron  Cornelia  was  of  her  two  boys ;  when  she  gives 
to  them  and  not  to  strangers  the  best  that  she  has  to 
give,  and  seeks  to  pour  her  very  life,  with  all  its 
noblest  convictions,  and  hopes,  and  purposes,  into 
theirs ;  then  she  is  manifesting  not  her  weakness  but 
her  strength,  and  exercising  the  largest  possible  influ- 
ence upon  the  welfare  of  the  nation  and  the  race. 

1  If  the  advice  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter  be  not  yet  out  of  date,  it 
wiay  be  found  in  1  Tim.  ii.  0  and  1  Pet.  iii.  3. 


THE  CITY  AND   THE  HOME  227 

We  must  not  suppose  that  these  teachings,  and 
others  of  like  nature  which  we  find  throughout  the 
Bible,  are  mere  matters  of  taste  and  sentiment.  They 
are  not  addressed  alone  or  chiefly  to  the  emotions. 
They  appeal  to  the  reason.  They  are  confirmed  by 
history.  They  are,  in  fact,  the  statements  of  the 
underlying  principles  of  human  society.  Where  they 
have  been  accepted  and  put  into  practice,  society  has 
prospered,  peace  and  order  have  prevailed,  noble  types 
of  humanity  have  been  produced.  Where  they  have 
been  denied  or  neglected,  confusion  and  misery  and 
degradation  have  followed.  Let  us  take  three  lessons 
which  are  contained  in  these  psalms,  and  apply  them  in 
a  practical  way  to  our  modern  life. 

1.  Civic  prosperity  depends  upon  the  favour  of  God 
and  the  active  influences  of  religion. 

The  striking  feature  of  modern  history  is  the  rapid 
growth  of  great  cities.  Every  city  needs  to  be  watched, 
for  it  is  just  as  truly  a  centre  of  danger  as  it  is  a 
centre  of  civilization.  In  olden  times  the  city  watch- 
men kept  their  faces  turned  outward,  looking  for  a  for- 
eign enemy.  In  these  times  they  need  to  keep  their 
faces  turned  inward,  watching  the  signs  of  municipal 
corruption. 

The  city  gets  the  best  and  the  worst  of  mankind. 
Extremes  touch.  Vices  knot  and  generate  in  clusters 
like  snakes.  The  demos  creates  demagogues,  and 
demagogues  are  worse  than  epidemics.  Large  oppor- 
tunities make  big  thieves.  The  blind  power  of  the 
ignorant,  and  the  unwatchful  indifference  of  the  pros- 
perous, often  put  base  and  godless  men  in  office,  who 


228  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

feed  like  leeches  upon  the  blood  of  the  community,  and 
drop  off  only  when  they  are  gorged. 

In  the  confusion  of  the  city  selfish  greed  finds  the 
best  shelter  for  its  cruelties,  and  envious  idleness  pre- 
pares the  social  dynamite  with  which  it  would  willingly 
blow  up  the  world  for  the  sake  of  looting  among  the 
ruins.  We  who  live  in  the  city  are  dwelling  on  the 
edge  of  the  volcano.  There  are  forces  of  evil  beneath 
us  strong  enough  to  shatter  our  civilization  into  frag- 
ments. But,  at  the  same  time,  there  are  other  forces 
which  restrain  and  prevent  the  calamity.  And  I  do 
not  hesitate  to  affirm  that  the  strongest  of  these  is  the 
grace  of  God  and  the  power  of  religion.  The  grace 
of  God,  —  that  secret  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  all 
good  upon  the  hearts  of  men,  which  enables  them  to 
check  their  selfish  passions,  and  draws  them,  even  in 
spite  of  themselves,  towards  higher  ideals :  the  power 
of  religion,  —  that  deep  sense  of  responsibility  to  a 
Mightier  and  a  Holier  Being,  and  the  apprehension  of 
His  judgment  in  another  world;  these  are  the  influ- 
ences which  are  chiefly  operative  in  the  preservation 
of  civil  order.  They  give  dignity  to  law,  and  sanctity 
to  government,  and  value  to  human  life.  If  they  were 
taken  away,  chaos  would  come. 

The  fear  of  God  is  the  bulwark  of  society.  Every 
institution  which  enforces  it  upon  the  human  heart  and 
conscience  is  of  incalculable  worth  to  the  community. 
If  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  were  abolished  to-day, 
and  the  faith  of  all  its  adherents  destroyed,  the  govern- 
ment of  this  city  would  become  an  impossible  task. 
We  Protestants  may  not  agree  with  the  priests  in  their 


THE   CITY  AND   THE  HOME  229 

doctrines,  but  when  it  comes  to  practice,  they  are  worth 
more  than  an  army  of  policemen.  After  all,  the  reli- 
gious people,  those  who  recognize  God  and  His  law,  rule 
the  city  ;  and  they  have  a  right  to  rule  it.  For  through 
them  God  exercises  His  protecting  power,  and  keeps 
the  city  from  destruction. 

2.  The  only  secure  basis  of  the  home  and  the  do- 
mestic virtues  is  religion. 

All  the  forces  which  threaten  the  permanence  and 
purity  of  family  life  are  distinctly  irreligious.  Divorce, 
the  social  evil,  the  vicious  luxuries  of  the  rich,  the 
brutal  vices  of  the  poor,  the  indifference  of  parents 
towards  their  offspring,  the  insubordination  of  children 
towards  their  parents,  are  condemned  by  the  Word  of 
God.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Bible  puts  a  Divine 
sanction  upon  the  home,  and  promises  a  Divine  blessing 
to  those  who  are  faithful  in  its  various  relations.  It 
teaches  masters  to  be  kind  and  servants  to  be  diligent, 
parents  to  be  forbearing  and  children  to  be  obedient, 
husbands  to  be  affectionate  and  wives  to  be  loyal.  It 
lifts  the  life  of  the  household  up  to  a  higher  plane 
when  it  reveals  God  as  the  Father  "  of  whom  the  whole 
family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,"  and  declares 
that  marriage  is  a  worthy  symbol  of  the  union  of 
Christ  and  His  Church. 

These  sanctions  and  precepts  are  greatly  needed,  to 
preserve  the  home  from  extinction  in  the  fierce  pres- 
sure of  our  modern  city  life.  What  can  parents  ex- 
pect who  neglect  and  despise  them,  who  make  no  ac- 
knowledgment of  God  in  their  domestic  life,  and  never 
ask  His  blessing  upon  their  tables  and  upon  their  f  ami- 


230  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

lies?  And  what  is  to  become  of  the  generation  of 
children  from  whose  secular  education  religion  is  ban- 
ished by  order  of  the  state,  and  from  whose  home 
training  the  Bible  is  left  out  by  negligence  of  their 
parents  ? 

Surely  it  would  be  a  good  thing,  if,  in  our  schools,  it 
could  be  recognized  that  a  child  had  far  better  grow 
up  thinking  that  the  earth  is  flat,  than  to  remain  igno- 
rant of  God  and  moral  law  and  filial  duty.  And  it 
would  be  a  still  better  thing,  if,  in  all  our  homes,  there 
could  be  a  sincere  revival  of  household  piety,  —  piety 
in  the  old  Roman  sense,  which  means  the  affectionate 
reverence  of  children  for  parents,  —  piety  in  the  new 
Christian  sense,  which  means  the  consecration  of  the 
heart  to  God,  —  for  this  would  rekindle  the  flame  of 
devotion  upon  many  a  neglected  altar,  and  shed  a  mild 
and  gracious  light  through  many  a  gloomy  home, 
making  it  the  brightest,  cheerfulest,  holiest  place  on 
earth.1 

3.  The  welfare  of  the  city  and  the  welfare  of  thr 
home  are  inseparably  connected. 

What  is  the  city,  after  all,  but  a  great  collection  of 
homes  ?  And  how  can  its  peace  and  its  prosperity  be 
secured  otherwise  than  through  the  order  and  happi- 
ness of  those  who  are  bound  together  in  its  scattered 
households  ?  We  often  talk  vaguely  about  the  city  as 
if  it  were  a  mighty  entity,  with  a  distinct  life  of  its 
own.  But  in  truth  it  has  no  existence  apart  from  the 
families  which  compose  it.  Its  life  is  theirs.  The  com- 

1  "  Before  the  fall,  Paradise  was  man's  home:  since  the  fall,  home 
has  been  his  Paradise.''  —  A.  W.  and  J.  C.  Hare,  Guesses  at  Truth. 


THE  CITY  AND   THE  HOME  231 

monwealth  is  made  up  of  the  multitude  of  individual 
weals.  If  these  are  destroyed,  or  changed  into  miseries, 
then  the  common  weal  becomes  the  common  woe.  The 
physical  conditions,  such  as  overcrowding,  and  bad 
buildings,  and  high  rents,  which  make  the  formation  of 
a  home  difficult,  and  the  moral  conditions,  such  as  the 
prevalence  of  drunkenness  and  licentiousness,  the  inor- 
dinate pursuit  of  amusements,  and  the  insane  desire  of 
wealth,  which  make  the  happiness  of  a  home  impos- 
sible, are  the  real  dangers  of  the  city.  It  is  against 
these  things  that  we  need  to  be  on  our  guard,  and  to 
work  and  fight  with  all  our  might.  All  legislation 
against  these  evils,  sanitary  laws,  high -license  bills, 
ordinances  for  the  suppression  of  crime,  are  good  as 
far  as  they  go.  But,  after  all,  the  great  work  must  be 
done  in  and  through  the  home ;  and  this  cannot  be 
accomplished  by  the  law ;  it  can  only  be  brought  about 
by  the  Gospel.  Men  and  women  must  make  their 
own  households  sweet  and  orderly  and  happy;  they 
must  train  their  children  in  the  fear  of  God  and  the 
love  of  man ;  they  must  promote  the  general  good  by 
doing  their  duty  in  the  sphere  of  life  and  in  the  nat- 
ural relations  in  which  Providence  has  placed  them. 

The  best  way  to  show  public  spirit  is  by  cultivating 
the  private  virtues.  The  first  thing  that  you  can  do 
for  your  city  is,  to  make  a  pure  and  sunny  and  health- 
ful home  in  it ;  and  the  second  thing  is  like  unto  the 
first,  to  help  and  encourage  others  to  do  the  same.  If 
you  will  honestly  try  to  do  this,  you  will  find  that  you 
need,  and  you  certainly  will  receive,  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord  out  of  Zion. 


XVII 
BROTHERLY  LOVE 

PSALM  CXXXIII 


BROTHERLY  LOVE 


A  GERMAN  writer  has  compared  this  little  psalm  to 
a  lovely  rose,  which  charms  the  eye  with  its  beauty 
and  diffuses  fragrance  on  every  passing  breeze.1  And 
truly,  though  small,  it  is  very  sweet,  like  one  of  those 
old  -  fashioned  flowers  which  used  to  bloom  in  our 
grandmothers'  gardens,  and  whose  perfume  was  at 
once  richer  and  more  delicate  than  that  of  the  over- 
grown and  flamboyant  products  of  modern  horticul- 
ture. 

The  title  tells  us  that  the  psalm  belongs  to  David. 
This  may  mean  simply  that  it  breathes  his  spirit,  or 
that  it  is  an  appropriate  description  of  his  beautiful 
friendship  with  Jonathan,  and  that  so  the  compiler  of 
the  Pilgrim  Psalter  was  led  by  the  tone  and  temper  of 
the  poem  to  connect  it  with  David's  memory.  Or  it 
may  mean  that  he  was  the  writer  of  it,  and  that  it  has 
reference  to  some  actual  experience  in  his  life.  If  so, 
the  event  with  which  it  falls  in  most  naturally  is  the 
scene  of  his  coronation  at  Hebron.  A  period  of  con- 
fusion and  civil  war  among  the  tribes  of  Israel  had  fol- 
lowed the  death  of  Saul.  The  nation  had  been  divided 
against  itself,  the  hands  of  brethren  had  been  filled 

1  Herder. 


236  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

with  hostile  weapons,  and  their  hearts  inflamed  with 
bitter  passions.  It  seemed  as  if  the  chosen  people 
were  to  be  split,  and  scattered,  and  thus  exposed  de- 
fenceless to  the  animosities  of  their  heathen  neigh- 
bours. Then  came  a  great  impulse  of  national  love 
and  unity,  drawing  all  hearts  together  to  the  new 
King  whom  God  had  anointed.  From  the  north,  and 
from  the  south,  and  from  the  country  beyond  Jordan, 
the  tribes  came  flocking  to  the  town  where  he  held  his 
court.  "  All  these  men  of  war  that  could  keep  rank 
came  with  a  perfect  heart  to  Hebron  to  make  David 
king  over  all  Israel :  and  all  the  rest  of  Israel  were  of 
one  heart  to  make  David  king.  And  there  they  were 
with  David  three  days  eating  and  drinking,  for  their 
brethren  had  prepared  for  them.  Moreover,  they  that 
were  nigh  them,  even  unto  Issachar  and  Zebulun  and 
Naphtali,  brought  bread  on  asses  and  on  camels  and 
on  mules  and  on  oxen,  and  meat,  meal,  cakes  of  figs 
and  bunches  of  raisins,  and  wine  and  oil,  and  oxen  and 
sheep  abundantly,  for  there  was  joy  in  Israel." l  It  is 
a  bright  and  gladsome  picture  of  the  rejoicing  of  a 
reunited  nation,  and  the  secret  of  its  beauty  is  to  be 
found  in  the  statement  that  all  the  people  were  of  one 
heart. 

After  the  death  of  Solomon  this  feeling  of  unity  was 
lost  and  destroyed  in  the  fierce  enmity  between  the 
northern  and  the  southern  tribes.  Separate  kingdoms 
were  established,  and  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  fight- 
ing under  the  rival  banners  of  Israel  and  Judah, 
drenched  the  land  of  their  common  inheritance  with 
1  1  Chron.  xi  i .  38-40. 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  237 

fraternal  blood.  There  was  a  long  reign  of  discord 
and  strife,  such  as  might  have  followed  in  our  own 
country  if  the  attempt  to  divide  the  United  States  had 
been  successful,  and  two  jealous  nations  had  been  set 
up  side  by  side  among  the  people  whom  God  intended 
to  be  one.  It  was  not  until  both  Judah  and  Israel 
had  fallen  before  a  foreign  foe,  it  was  not  until  they 
had  been  brought  together  in  the  sorrowful  experiences 
of  captivity  and  exile,  and  restored  by  a  common  deliv- 
erance to  their  promised  land,  that  the  ancient  spirit  of 
concord  revived.  Then  we  see  the  old  hostilities  for- 
gotten in  the  joy  of  a  new  hope  for  Israel,  and  the 
jealousies  of  the  past  laid  aside  in  the  glad  work  of 
rebuilding  the  city  of  God.  "  The  people  gathered 
themselves  together  as  one  man  to  Jerusalem."  1  "  All 
the  people  gathered  themselves  together  as  one  man 
into  the  street  that  was  before  the  water-gate,  and  they 
spake  unto  Ezra  the  scribe  to  bring  the  book  of  the 
Law  of  Moses,  which  the  Lord  had  commanded  to 
Israel."  2 

At  such  a  time  as  this,  it  would  have  been  natural  to 
take  up  once  more  the  ancient  song  of  David,  and  to 
proclaim  with  the  voice  of  music,  that  truth  which  had 
been  obscured  during  so  many  centuries  of  civil  strife 
and  bloodshed :  — 

' '  Behold  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  la 
"  For  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity." 

And  this  olden  song,  becoming  popular  again,  would 

very  likely  be  adopted  and  used  by  the  pilgrims  who 

came  together  from  all  parts  of  the  land  to  the  Feasts. 

i  Ez.  iii.  1.  2  Net.  viii.  1. 


238  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

Something  like  this  may  have  been  the  actual  history 
of  our  psalm ;  may  have  bee/i,  I  say,  for  we  must  be 
careful  not  to  insist  upon  any  conjectural  interpretation 
as  if  it  were  the  only  one  possible.  In  fact,  the  psalm 
has  a  universal  quality  about  it.  It  might  have  been 
written  yesterday.  The  picture  which  it  presents  has  a 
perpetual  charm,  and  it  finds  its  illustrations  in  every 
community,  in  every  church,  in  every  household,  where 
amity  and  mutual  helpfulness  prevail.  Age  cannot 
wither,  nor  custom  stale,  the  beauty  of  brotherly  love. 

The  figures  of  speech  under  which  the  psalmist  de- 
scribes his  theme  are  extremely  simple  and  yet  exqui- 
site in  their  suggestive  delicacy.  He  turns  first  to  the 
ritual  of  religion,  and  choosing  the  most  fragrant  thing 
that  was  used  in  the  divine  service,1  he  compares  the 
spirit  of  harmony  and  peace  to  the  precious  oil  with 
which  the  High  Priest  was  anointed.  Our  attention 
is  not  directed  to  the  value  of  the  oil,  nor  to  its  sweet 
perfume  ;  though  these  thoughts  are  doubtless  included 
in  the  figure  and  carried  along  with  it.  But  the  psalm- 
ist is  thinking  especially  of  the  fact  that  the  oil  was 
fluent;  so  that  when  it  was  poured  out,  it  ran  down 
upon  Aaron's  long  beard,  and  thus  descended  to  the 
border  of  his  garment.  It  diffused  itself  over  his  en- 
tire person. 

And  so  the  spirit  of  amity  is  not  confined  to  any  one 
part  of  the  community,  but  it  pervades  and  blesses  the 
whole  people.  It  may  be  that  it  begins  at  the  head. 
God  sends  it  first  upon  the  rulers  and  governors,  so  that 
their  jealousies  and  envyings  are  laid  aside,  and  they 
1  Ex.  *™  22-26. 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  239 

are  united  in  wise  and  generous  counsels  for  the  com- 
mon weal.  Certainly,  without  this  unity  in  high  places, 
there  is  little  hope  of  general  concord.  When  the 
leaders  of  men  are  filled  with  hostility  and  malice 
against  each  other,  when  politics  degenerate  into  a  pro- 
longed strife  between  jealous  statesmen  or  placemen, 
the  nation  has  no  pleasant  prospect  before  it.  It'  was 
so  in  our  own  country  before  the  war.  It  is  so  in  Eng- 
land to-day.  The  personal  quarrels  and  rivalries  of 
the  House  of  Commons  threaten  to  divide  the  British 
Empire  into  hostile  camps.  But  when  those  who  have 
authority  and  influence,  those  who  occupy  the  loftiest 
positions  in  the  state,  agree  in  their  broad  principles, 
though  they  may  differ  in  questions  of  detail,  and  work 
together  in  friendly  emulation  for  the  welfare  of  the 
entire  people,  then  the  influences  of  harmony  flow  cut 
from  them  upon  every  part  of  the  body  politic. 

It  may  be  stated  as  a  general  law  that,  after  a  time 
of  conflict  and  confusion,  the  spirit  of  concord  begins 
to  manifest  itself  in  those  who  are  elevated,  by  nature 
or  by  education,  above  the  mass  of  the  people.  On  the 
lower  planes  of  life,  among  those  who  are  ignorant  and 
degraded,  prejudices  and  animosities,  once  aroused, 
linger  longest  and  are  most  obstinate.  It  is  certainly 
so  in  our  own  country  to-day.  You  may  possibly  find 
a  few  men  among  the  swamps  of  Mississippi  or  the 
mountains  of  North  Carolina  who  do  not  believe  that 
the  war  is  ended,  —  a  few  among  the  hills  of  New 
Hampshire  or  the  backwoods  of  Maine  who  would  like 
to  "hang  all  the  rebels."  But  that  is  only  because 
they  are  so  far  away  from  the  head  that  the  oil  has  not 


240  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

yet  reached  them.  The  unreconstructed  and  the  un- 
reconciled people  belong  to  the  soles  of  the  feet.  Those 
who  are  raised  high  enough  to  be  able  to  look  oyer  the 
stone  walls,  those  who  are  intelligent  enough  to  take  a 
broader  view  of  things  than  that  which  is  bounded  by 
the  lines  of  any  one  state  or  section,  understand  that 
the  unity  of  the  nation  is  of  the  first  importance,  and 
are  prepared  to  make  those  sacrifices  and  concessions, 
within  the  bounds  of  loyalty,  which  are  necessary  for 
its  maintenance,  and  to  cherish  that  temper  of  frater- 
nal affection  which  alone  can  fill  the  form  of  national 
existence  with  the  warm  blood  of  life.  The  first  man, 
after  the  civil  war,  to  recognize  this  great  principle  and 
to  act  upon  it  was  the  head  of  the  nation,  —  that  large 
and  generous  soul  whose  worth  was  not  fully  felt  until 
he  was  taken  from  his  people  by  the  stroke  of  the  as- 
sassin, in  the  very  hour  when  his  presence  was  most 
needed  for  the  completion  of  the  work  of  reunion.  But 
the  chrism  of  charity  which  had  been  poured  upon  him 
descended  upon  others  in  their  degree,  first  upon 
those  who  were  highest  and  best,  then  upon  those  who 
had  to  wait  longer  because  they  were  lower.  In  pro- 
portion as  men  and  women  were  thoughtful  and  intelli- 
gent, they  felt  the  impulses  of  forgiveness  and  concord. 
When  an  important  election  was  contested  and  the 
demagogues  on  both  sides  began  to  threaten  war,  the 
thinking  people  held  together  in  the  spirit  of  brother- 
hood, and  the  idle  words  of  the  braggarts  passed  away 
with  the  wind.  When  the  balance  of  power  was  trans- 
ferred from  one  party  to  another,  there  was  no  dis- 
turbance, not  even  a  moment's  check  to  the  national 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  241 

prosperity,  because  the  thinking  people,  north,  south, 
east,  and  west,  felt  that  the  nation  was  one  and  su- 
perior to  any  party.  And  now,  any  proposal  or  threat 
of  separation  would  be  laughed  at,  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  Great  Lakes.  There  is  considerable  talk 
just  now,  in  this  connection,  about  the  New  South,  as 
if  this  were  a  great  discovery  which  some  one  had 
made,  or  a  new  region  which  some  fluent  orator  had 
created,  and  as  if  this  discovery  or  creation  would  ac- 
count for  the  present  condition  of  affairs.  But  in  fact 
it  is  just  the  old  South  and  the  old  North,  anointed 
with  the-  oil  of  brotherly  love  which  has  flowed  down 
from  the  head  even  to  the  fringe  of  the  garments. 

We  may  observe  the  operation  of  the  same  law  in  the 
family.  Love  descends.  It  has  been  said  that  parents 
love  their  children  more  than  children  love  their  parents. 
Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certainly  true  that 
unless  the  father  and  mother  love  each  other,  there  is 
small  hope  of  affection  among  the  brothers  and  sisters. 
Kindness  is  contagious.  The  spirit  of  harmony  trickles 
down  by  a  thousand  secret  channels  into  the  inmost 
recesses  of  the  household  life.  One  truly  affectionate 
soul  in  a  family  will  exert  a  sweetening  and  harmo- 
nizing influence  upon  all  its  members.  It  is  hard  to 
be  angry  in  the  presence  of  imperturbable  good-nature. 
It  is  wellnigh  impossible  to  be  morose  in  face  of  a 
cheerful  and  generous  helpfulness.  Beginning  with 
the  highest,  the  ointment  drops  even  upon  those  who 
are  unconscious  or  careless  of  it,  and  the  whole  house 
is  presently  filled  with  its  fragrance. 

It  is  just  the  same  in  the  church.     Here,  also,  the 


242  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

spirit  of  peace  and  fraternity  flows  downward.  It  was 
poured  out  first  upon  Christ,  the  High  Priest  and  Head. 
From  Him  it  descends  to  those  who  are  nearest  to 
Him,  and  so  extends  its  influence  to  all  the  members. 
It  is  an  ill  day  for  the  church  when  her  ministers  and 
office-bearers  are  proud  and  heady  and  self-seeking, 
envious  of  each  other,  or  wrapt  up  in  their  own  dig- 
nity, caring  only  for  their  own  interests,  and  strenuous 
rather  to  have  their  own  wishes  consulted  and  their 
own  preferences  carried  out,  than  to  consult  the  wishes 
of  others  and  do  that  which  is  for  the  welfare  and 
convenience  of  all  the  people.  Their  spirit  will  prop- 
agate itself,  and  the  church  will  be  divided  and  miser- 
able. But  when  they  are  drawn  together  in  love  and 
concord,  when  their  only  emulation  is  to  see  which  of 
them  can  make  the  largest  sacrifices  and  render  the 
most  unselfish  services  for  Christ,  when  they  cultivate 
in  large  measure  the  fraternal  temper,  and  prove  that 
they  regard  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  as  their  breth- 
ren, then  the  same  temper  will  permeate  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  body,  and  the  whole  church  will  be  bound 
together  in  the  unity  of  the  spirit  and  the  bond  of 
peace. 

Church  quarrels  are  proverbially  the  most  bitter  in 
the  world.  For  two  reasons.  First,  because  they  are 
usually  about  the  most  trivial  causes.  Second,  because 
in  the  very  act  of  beginning  them  men  separate  them- 
selves from  Christ,  and  thus  give  themselves  over,  at 
least  for  the  time,  to  the  devil.  Every  Christian  is 
bound  to  give  up  something,  much,  anything  that  is 
not  essential  to  his  religious  life,  for  the  sake  of  his 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  243 

fellow-Christians.  Our  great  aim  should  be,  not  to 
secure  the  triumph  of  our  private  opinions  or  the  grat- 
ification of  our  personal  desires  in  the  arrangement  of 
church  government  and  worship,  but  to  do  that  which 
is  for  the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  number.  For 
the  chief  end  to  be  sought  is  the  prosperity  and  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  church  ;  and  this  can  only  be 
attained  when  all  agree  to  walk  together  in  the  way 
that  is  best  suited  to  the  majority,  provided  it  is  not 
contrary  to  the  revealed  law  of  Christ.  And  even  in 
the  interpretation  of  that  law,  we  must  be  careful  to 
read  it  in  the  spirit  of  humility  and  liberality,  looking 
not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  on 
the  things  of  others. 

Peace  is  the  most  desirable  of  all  blessings ;  and 
where  all  are  of  this  opinion  it  is  not  hard  to  preserve 
it ;  for  if  a  warlike  soul  intrudes,  who  feels  that  he 
cannot  live  without  a  quarrel,  it  is  easy  for  the  peace- 
ful church  to  bid  him  farewell  and  godspeed.  And  if 
each  member  is  willing  and  anxious  to  give  up  to  his 
brethren,  and  more  desirous  of  serving  them  than  of 
pleasing  himself,  the  oil  of  concord  will  fill  the  whole 
temple  with  its  odours,  and  the  very  bells  upon  the 
skirt  of  the  high-priest's  robe  will  be  anointed. 

From  the  sanctuary  and  the  ritual  of  worship,  which 
belong  in  a  certain  sense  to  the  world  of  art,  the  psalm- 
ist turns  now  to  the  world  of  nature  to  find  another, 
and  no  less  beautiful,  symbol  of  brotherly  love.  He 
says  it  is 

"  Like  the  dew  of  Hermon, 

"  That  cometh  down  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion : 


244  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

"  For  there  the  Lord  commanded  the  blessing, 
"  Even  life  for  evermore." 

And  here,  also,  we  must  be  careful  and  exact,  to  find 
the  exquisite  meaning  of  the  simile.  It  is  not  because 
the  dew  falls  silently  and  softly,  nor  because  it  makes 
the  pastures  green  and  fertile,  but  because  the  two 
mountains  share  in  the  same  blessing,  because  it  is  dif- 
fused and  imparted  from  one  to  the  other,  that  the  dew 
is  chosen  as  the  natural  type  of  brotherly  love.  The 
lordly  northern  peak,  with  its  crown  of  everlasting  snow, 
and  the  lowlier  southern  hill,  with  its  crown  of  towers, 
rejoice  together  in  their  nightly  refreshment.  There  is 
even  a  more  intimate  connection  between  the  two  moun- 
tains than  appears  in  our  common  English  translation 
of  the  psalm.  For  the  poet  does  not  speak,  as  the  Au- 
thorized Version  makes  him  do,  of  the  dew  of  Hermon 
and  then  of  the  dew  of  Zion.  He  says  that  the  dew 
of  Hermon,  that  same  moisture  which  rises  from  its 
wooded  slopes  and  deep,  snow-filled  ravines  under  the 
warmth  of  the  summer  sun,  is  carried  down  and  dif- 
fused upon  the  hills  of  Zion.  This  is  no  fancy  but  a 
fact.  "  For  an  abundant  dew,  when  warm  days  have 
preceded,  might  very  well  be  diverted  to  Jerusalem  by 
the  operation  of  the  cold  current  of  air  sweeping  down 
from  the  north  over  Hermon."  1  Thus  the  higher  be- 
comes a  source  of  blessing  to  the  lower,  and  all  the 
land  rejoices  under  the  influence  of  the  same  celestial 
favour. 

After  the  same  fashion  do  the  benefits  of  the  frater- 
nal spirit  diffuse  themselves,  and  silently  make  their 

1  Delitzsch  on  the  Psalms,  vol.  iii.  p.  319, 


BROTHERLY  LOVE  245 

presence  felt.  In  the  community  where  that  spirit  pre- 
vails, all  good  things  flourish  and  increase.  The  ruler 
finds  his  task  less  difficult,  the  teacher  is  encouraged 
by  the  reverence  and  docility  of  his  pupils,  the  bene- 
factions of  the  rich  are  received  with  gratitude,  and 
the  labours  of  the  poor  are  protected  by  justice  and  re- 
warded with  liberality.  The  cottage,  no  less  than  the 
palace,  enjoys  the  blessings  of  civil  concord  and  social 
harmony.  Human  life,  in  every  sphere,  becomes  easier 
and  happier  and  more  fruitful,  as  men  recognize  the 
ties  which  bind  them  to  each  other,  and  learn  to  dwell 
together  in  mutual  affection  and  helpfulness. 

The  hard,  cruel,  bitter  spirit  of  selfishness  —  every 
man  for  himself  and  the  devil  take  the  hindmost  — 
makes  the  world  like  a  barren  and  wearisome  desert. 
The  struggle  for  existence !  —  if  that  be  all,  —  if  every 
man's  hand  be  against  me,  and,  in  order  to  succeed, 
my  hand  must  be  against  every  man,  then  this  busi- 
ness of  living  for  seventy  years  becomes  very  dry  and 
tedious.  There  is  no  bloom,  no  fragrance,  no  freshness 
about  it.  It  is  like  trudging  through  a  wilderness  of 
rock  and  sand.  But  if  I  can  feel  sympathy,  —  feel  it 
within  and  without,  —  then  the  dew  falls  and  the  desert 
begins  to  blossom.  By  sympathy  I  do  not  mean  merely 
a  fellowship  in  sorrow,  but  also,  and  no  less  truly,  a 
fellowship  in  joy,  —  a  feeling  for  which  we  ought  to 
have  an  English  word.  To  be  glad  when  your  brother 
men  are  prosperous  and  happy,  to  rejoice  in  their  suc- 
cess, to  cheer  for  their  victories ;  to  be  compassionate 
and  pitiful  when  your  brother  men  are  distressed  and 
miserable,  to  grieve  over  their  failures,  to  help  them 


246  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

in  their  troubles,  —  this  is  the  fraternal  spirit  which 
blesses  him  who  exercises  it,  and  those  toward  whom  it 
is  exercised. 

The  evil  of  socialism  is  that  it  exalts  envy  into  one 
of  the  virtues.  The  folly  of  fashion  is  that  it  makes 
indifference  synonymous  with  good  manners,  and 
crusts  the  heart  with  ice  in  order  to  give  it  a  polish. 
The  crime  of  worldliness  is  that  it  makes  a  man  less 
manly  and  a  woman  less  womanly.  The  glory  of  Chris- 
tianity is  that  it  opens  the  heart,  and  enlarges  the  affec- 
tions, and  teaches,  nay,  compels,  men  to  love  each 
other.  "But,  as  touching  brotherly  love,''  says  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  "  ye  need  not  that  I 
write  unto  you ;  for  ye  yourselves  are  taught  of  God 
to  love  one  another."  l  This  was  a  lesson  that  God 
would  not  trust  to  any  other  teacher  than  Himself,  and 
so  He  came  into  the  world  and  lived  and  died  for  us, 
to  make  sure  that  we  should  learn  it. 

There  is  a  beautiful  legend  in  the  Itinerary  of  St. 
Anthony.2  An  old  pilgrim  narrates  that,  every  morn- 
ing at  sunrise,  a  handful  of  dew  floated  down  from 
Hermon  and  fell  upon  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  where 
it  was  immediately  gathered  by  the  Christian  physi- 
cians, and  was  found  a  sovereign  remedy  for  all  dis- 
eases. What  is  this  dew  but  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
"  This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another." 
It  falls  from  heaven  upon  the  church.  But  it  is  not 
meant  for  her  refreshment  alone.  It  is  intended  to 
be  a  cure  for  all  the  evils  of  society,  spreading  from 
heart  to  heart,  from  land  to  land,  until  the  last  desert 
vanishes  and  the  lost  Paradise  is  regained. 

1  1  Thes.  iv.  9.  2  Quoted  by  Perowne  in  his  Commentary. 


XVIII 
THE   BENEDICTION 

PSALM   CXXXIV 


THE  BENEDICTION 


THERE  is  no  word  in  human  language  more  beauti- 
ful and  attractive  than  that  which  this  psalm  carries 
in  its  bosom  like  a  precious  jewel,  —  the  simple  and 
familiar  word  of  BLESSING.  In  the  Hebrew  it  is 
Barach,  which  is  connected,  first,  with  the  idea  of 
worship,  the  bending  of  the  knee  and  lifting  of  the 
heart  to  God,  and  then  with  the  idea  of  the  Divine 
response  to  this  adoration,  the  heavenly  favour  coming 
down  to  rest  upon  the  life  of  the  worshipper.  When 
an  Israelite  said,  "  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,"  he 
called  all  his  best  thoughts  and  feelings  to  pour  out 
their  tribute  of  love  and  praise  before  Jehovah ;  and 
when  he  said  to  his  brother,  "  The  Lord  bless  thee," 
he  meant  to  invoke  all  those  good  gifts  which  God  be- 
stows in  answer  to  prayer,  —  the  continual  protection, 
the  merciful  regard,  and  the  beneficent  care  of  the 
great  Father. 

In  the  Latin  and  the  Greek  the  words  are  benedico 
and  eu-logeo ;  they  both  mean  the  same  thing,  —  to 
speak  well  of  any  one;  and  thus  a  benediction  from 
man  to  God  carries  with  it  the  utterance  of  reverent 
thought  and  grateful  feelings  toward  the  Perfect 
Being ;  and  a  benediction  from  God  to  man  is  the  reve- 


250  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

lation  of  the  Divine  Love,  the  express  declaration  that 
the  Creator  intends  and  promises  to  do  good  to  His 
creatures. 

In  our  own  tongue  the  word  to  bless  is  derived 
from  the  same  root  as  blithe  and  bliss.  It  conveys  the 
thought  of  peace  and  happiness.  When  we  bless  God 
we  express  the  sincere  desire  that  He,  as  the  source  of 
all  light  and  life,  as  the  maker  and  ruler  of  the  Uni- 
verse, may  ever  be  filled  with  infinite  calm  and  joy ; 
that  His  glory  may  shine  everywhere,  and  that  all  His 
works  may  praise  Him  in  all  places  of  His  dominion. 
When  God  blesses  us,  He  promises  to  satisfy  our  souls 
and  make  us  happy. 

Now  this  twofold  significance  of  the  word  is  very 
clearly  brought  out  in  our  psalm.  It  is  a  greeting  and 
a  reply.  In  the  first  part  the  servants  of  Jehovah,  who 
keep  the  night-watch  in  His  Temple,  are  saluted,  and 
exhorted  to  perform  their  work  with  gladness  and  grat- 
itude, rendering  blessings  to  Him  whom  they  serve. 
In  the  second  part  they  respond  to  the  salutation  by 
invoking  their  Lord's  benediction  upon  those  who  have 
spoken  to  them  so  kindly  and  cheerfully  through  the 
darkness. 

The  custom  of  keeping  guard  in  the  Temple  during 
the  night  is  referred  to  in  the  Book  of  Chronicles 
(ch.  ix.  33),  and  in  the  Targum  we  find  a  description 
of  the  way  in  which  the  duty  was  performed.  "  After 
midnight  the  chief  of  the  doorkeepers  took  the  keys  of 
the  Inner  Temple,  and  went  with  some  of  the  priests 
through  the  little  wicket  of  the  Fire  Gate.  In  the 
interior  court  this  patrol  divided  into  two  companies, 


THE  BENEDICTION  251 

each  carrying  a  burning  torch ;  one  company  turned 
westward,  the  other  eastward,  and  so  they  went  around 
the  court  to  see  whether  everything  was  ready  for  the 
services  of  the  following  morning.  In  the  baker's 
chamber,  where  the  Mincha,  the  offering  of  the  High 
Priest,  was  prepared,  they  met  with  the  cry  '  All 's 
well ! '  Meanwhile  the  rest  of  the  priests  arose,  bathed, 
and  put  on  their  garments.  Then  they  went  into  the 
stone  chamber  (one  half  of  which  was  the  meeting- 
place  of  the  Sanhedrim),  and  then,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  officer  who  gave  the  watchword,  sur- 
rounded by  the  priests  in  their  robes  of  office,  their 
different  duties  for  the  coming  day  were  assigned  to 
them  by  lot."  l 

Some  suppose  that  the  first  two  verses  of  the  psalm 
were  addressed  by  those  who  came  to  relieve  the  guard 
to  their  comrades  who  were  just  going  off  duty,  and 
that  the  third  verse  is  their  reply.  Or  we  may  imag- 
ine that  the  two  salutations  were  exchanged  when  the 
separate  companies,  with  their  flaming  brands,  drew 
near  to  each  other  after  completing  their  rounds.  Other 
interpreters  think  it  more  probable  that  the  first  greet- 
ing was  given  by  the  congregation  to  those  who  were 
in  charge  of  the  night-service,  and  the  second  greeting 
was  returned  by  the  Priests  and  Levites  to  the  people 
who  were  about  to  go  down  from  the  Temple  hill. 
Still  another  view  is  adopted  by  one  of  our  most  sug- 
gestive English  writers  on  the  Psalms.2  He  supposes 
that  a  caravan  of  pilgrims  are  getting  ready  to  set  out 

1  Delitzsch. 

2  S.  Cox,  The  Pilgrim  Psalms.    So  also  C.  H.  Spurgeon. 


252  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

on  their  homeward  journey.  They  rise  long  before 
daybreak,  in  order  to  be  well  on  their  way  before  the 
heat  of  noon  overtakes  them.  Looking  up  through 
the  darkness  to  the  Temple,  where  they  have  renewed 
their  vows  and  offered  their  annual  sacrifices,  they  see 
the  gleam  of  the  torches  moving  about  the  courts,  and 
hail  the  watchmen  with  words  of  cheer.  Like  an  echo 
the  blessing  comes  back  to  them,  and  they  set  out  on 
their  pilgrimage,  followed  by  a  hearty  and  musical 
"  Godspeed ! " 

But  whatever  view  we  take  of  the  origin  of  the 
psalm  (and,  indeed,  it  may  easily  have  been  used  in  any 
of  these  ways),  its  significance  remains  the  same.  We 
hear  a  double  benediction,  —  man  blessing  God,  and 
God  blessing  man. 

1.  Man  blessing  God. 

We  are  not  to  suppose  from  this  that  the  creature  is 
necessary  to  the  Creator,  or  that  human  worship  can 
add  anything  to  the  eternal  felicity  of  the  Divine 
Being.  And  yet  we  are  to  suppose  it,  too ;  for,  if  the 
Bible  teaches  anything  about  God,  it  teaches  that  He 
desires  the  love  and  thankful  adoration  of  everything 
that  He  has  made,  especially  of  man,  whom  He  has 
made  in  His  own  image,  and  for  His  own  fellowship. 
It  is  very  easy  to  get  lost  in  trying  to  enter  into  the 
mysteries  of  thought  and  feeling  as  they  exist  in  the 
Supreme  and  Perfect  Spirit.  How  can  it  be  possible 
that  One  who  has  everything  in  Himself  should  want 
anything  that  we  can  give  ?  How  can  we  imagine  that 
our  actions  and  our  words  should  make  any  difference 
to  a  Being  in  whom  the  tide  of  bliss  is  always  at  the 


THE  BENEDICTION  253 

full  ?  Can  our  indifference  grieve  Him  in  whose  light 
there  are  no  shadows  ?  Can  our  affection  be  of  any 
value  to  Him  whom  the  hosts  of  Heaven  surround  with 
ceaseless  praise  ? 

But  when  we  come  to  look  more  closely  at  the  revela- 
tion which  He  has  made  of  Himself  through  His  Word, 
we  learn  that  a  man  may  rob  God  by  withholding  that 
which  is  His  due,1  that  a  man  may  grieve  God  by  treat- 
ing Him  with  ingratitude  or  irreverence,2  that  a  man 
may  please  God  by  believing  in  Him  and  worshipping 
Him  and  walking  in  His  ways.3 

Now,  if  this  seem  strange  and  almost  incredible  to 
us,  we  may  get  some  light  upon  it  by  considering  that 
relation  in  which  God  has  been  pleased  to  make  Him- 
self known  to  us,  and  fixing  our  thoughts  upon  the 
great  truth  of  His  Fatherhood.  A  father  is  not  in 
any  sense  dependent  upon  his  children.  All  that  they 
possess  comes  from  him.  His  life  is  in  every  way 
larger  and  fuller  than  theirs.  His  being  is  complete 
in  itself,  and  draws  its  sustenance,  physical  and  spir- 
itual, from  sources  over  which  they  have  no  control, 
and  of  whose  very  existence  they  are  ignorant.  They 
cannot  really  give  him  anything,  but  only  return  what 
he  has  given  to  them.  And  yet  how  much  he  wants 
from  them,  and  how  truly  they  may  become  his  bless- 
ings !  He  desires  not  only  to  see  them  happy,  but  to 
have  them  realize  their  happiness,  and  be  grateful  for 
it.  That  they  should  trust  him  and  love  him  and  obey 
him,  that  they  should  be  responsive  to  the  influence  of 

1  Mai.  iii.  8.  2  Ps.  XCT.  10 ;  Eph.  iv.  30. 

8  Prov.  xvi.  I ;  Heb.  xi.  5. 


254  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

his  affection,  and  should  show  that  they  wish  his  wel- 
fare, —  these  are  the  things  that  he  longs  for ;  and  when 
they  are  withheld  from  him,  however  rich  and  full  his 
life  in  the  great  world  may  be,  he  is  robbed  and  un- 
satisfied. A  word  of  filial  affection  from  them  would 
be  sweeter  than  the  praises  of  the  forum ;  a  childish 
present  from  their  hands  would  be  worth  more  than 
the  gains  of  the  market-place.  Lord  Chesterfield  was 
what  the  world  calls  a  successful  man,  but  the  great 
sorrow  and  disappointment  of  his  life  was  that  his  son 
was  a  dull  and  selfish  and  ungrateful  clod.  I  was 
jalking  not  long  ago  with  a  man  of  business  whose 
career  had  been  full  of  large  financial  triumphs,  but 
the  one  fact  on  which  he  seemed  to  dwell  with  most 
satisfaction  was  that  his  daughter  had  often  said  to 
him,  "  You  have  been  a  good  father  to  me."  She  had 
blessed  him ;  and  that  was  what  he  most  desired. 

Not  otherwise  is  it  with  God.  When  He  calls  Him- 
self our  Father,  He  means  not  only  that  He  is  good  to 
us,  but  also  that  He  wishes  and  seeks  our  answering 
love.  He  would  see  His  benevolence  reflected  in  our 
gratitude,  as  the  sunlight  is  given  back  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  lake.  He  would  have  our  benediction. 
When  we  speak  well  of  Him,  when  we  acknowledge 
His  goodness  and  express  our  desire  for  His  glory,  He 
is  well  pleased. 

Have  you  ever  noticed  that  the  first  half  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  beginning  with  the  words  "  Our  Father," 
is  devoted  to  blessing  God  ? 

Hallowed  be  thy  name :  in  this  petition  we  pray 
that  the  number  of  those  who  know  and  worship  Him 


THE  BENEDICTION  255 

may  be  enlarged,  and  that  their  adoration  may  be  more 
deep  and  fervent ;  that  all  false  thoughts  of  Him  may 
be  removed,  and  all  evil-speaking  against  Him  may  be 
silenced ;  that  the  light  of  His  glory  may  shine  every 
where,  and  the  whole  earth  reecho  with  His  praise. 

Thy  'kingdom  come :  in  this  petition  we  pray  that 
His  gracious  sway  may  be  extended  over  all  hearts,  and 
that  every  tribe  and  nation  may  submit  to  Him  and 
serve  Him  as  their  Lord. 

Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven :  in 
this  petition  we  pray  that  all  opposition  and  rebellion 
against  Him  may  cease  ;  that  every  one  of  His  eternal 
purposes  may  speedily  pass  into  fulfilment ;  that  every 
soul  of  His  creation  may  come  into  harmony  with  Him, 
and  the  day  arrive  when  within  the  infinite  circle  of 
His  dominion  there  shall  be  no  spot  of  discord  to  grieve, 
no  shadow  of  sin  to  offend  Him,  but  God  shall  be  all 
in  all. 

Of  course  we  know  that  His  name  will  be  hallowed, 
His  kingdom  shall  come,  His  will  must  be  done  ;  for 
there  is  the  force  of  omnipotence  behind  them,  and 
nothing  can  finally  withstand  God.  But  at  the  same 
time  we  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  knew  what  was  well- 
pleasing  to  his  Father  when  He  taught  us,  as  the  first 
duty  of  religion,  to  utter  this  threefold  benediction 
upon  Him  who  dwelleth  in  Heaven. 

We  bless  God  by  believing  in  Him,  by  loving  Him, 
by  rejoicing  in  His  sovereignty,  by  obeying  His  com- 
mandments. But  the  blessing  is  not  complete  while  it 
is  silent.  The  hands  must  be  lifted  up  and  the  lips 
must  bear  their  testimony. 


256  THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

A  dumb  love  is  acceptable  only  from  the  lower  ani- 
mals.  God  has  given  us  speech  that  we  should  call 
upon  His  name.  Worship  is  to  religion  what  fra- 
grance is  to  the  flower.  There  are  some  men  and 
women  who  go  through  the  world  without  ever  ac- 
knowledging Him  who  made  them,  or  speaking  a  good 
word  of  God.  To  them  the  exhortation  of  this  psalm 
comes  home  like  a  reproach.  Why  so  sullen  and 
speechless  in  His  presence  ?  Be  not  ashamed  to  bow 
your  knees  where  men  can  see  you.  Be  not  ashamed 
to  sing  His  praise  where  men  can  hear  you.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  become  you  so  much  as  to  speak  well 
of  your  heavenly  Father. 

Let  us  remember  also  that  this  is  one  great  object  of 
the  public  services  of  religion,  to  unite  the  benedictions 
of  the  faithful  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  The  Church 
is  not  only  for  the  edification  of  man,  but  also  for  the 
glory  of  God.  In  our  Protestant  worship,  we  have 
come  to  think  too  much  of  what  we  get,  and  too  little 
of  what  we  give.  Bring  not  empty  hearts  to  be  filled, 
but  full  hearts  to  be  poured  out  in  adoration.  Stand 
not  idle  when  the  praise  of  God  is  sung,  gazing  curi- 
ously about  the  congregation,  or  listening  critically  to 
the  choir.  He  is  waiting  to  hear  your  voice ;  pour  it 
gratefully  into  the  tide  of  song.  Let  not  your  thought 
wander  aimlessly  all  through  creation,  over  your  busi- 
ness affairs,  or  your  plans  of  recreation,  or  your  neigh- 
bour's  dress,  while  the  prayers  are  being  offered  ;  but 
send  up  sincere  petitions  from  your  own  heart.  Join 
earnestly  and  cheerfully  in  the  worship.  Bless  God, 
for  he  is  your  Father. 


THE  BENEDICTION  257 

2.  It  seems  that  the  Temple  watchmen  in  the  psalm 
were  not  vexed  or  offended  by  this  exhortation,  but 
rather  pleased  and  comforted.  They  took  it  in  good 
part  to  be  called  servants  and  reminded  of  their  duty. 
For  they  responded  instantly  with  grateful  speech : 

"  The  Lord  bless  thee  out  of  Zion, 

"  Even  He  that  made  heaven  and  earth." 

Here  we  have  the  celestial  side  of  benediction,  —  God 
blessing  man. 

The  Divine  favour  has  a  twofold  aspect.  It  comes, 
first,  from  God's  natural  bounty  as  the  Creator  of  the 
world,  and  enters  into  our  life  in  numberless  forms  of 
creature  comfort.  Food  and  raiment,  health  and  hap- 
piness, are  blessings  from  His  hand.  As  we  saw  in 
the  last  two  psalms,  the  prosperity  of  the  city  and  the 
welfare  of  the  home  are  gifts  from  Him. 

It  would  be  a  thousand  pities  if,  in  our  increasing 
knowledge  of  the  processes  of  Nature  and  the  means  by 
which  her  results  are  produced,  we  should  forget  that 
behind  all  these  there  is  the  will  of  a  generous  Father 
providing  good  things  for  His  children.  He  makes 
the  sun  shine,  and  the  rain  fall,  and  the  harvests  grow. 
If  your  tables  are  spread  with  bounty  and  your  live* 
filled  with  pleasure,  it  is  because  He  is  kind  to  you. 

But  the  other  aspect  of  His  favour  is  far  more  im- 
portant. For  after  all  there  are  wants  within  us  which 
even  God  cannot  satisfy  with  His  outward  gifts.  He 
must  do  something  more  for  us  before  we  can  be  truly 
blest;  He  must  give  us  Himself.  And  this  is  the 
blessing,  which  He  bestows  "  out  of  Zion." 

means  the  place  where  the  Divine  character 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  PSALMS 

and  will  are  clearly  revealed.  In  Zion  is  God  known ; 
in  other  places  he  is  only  guessed  at.  The  knowledge 
of  God's  holiness,  His  willingness  to  forgive  sin,  His 
compassionate  purpose  of  redemption,  was  given  to  the 
Israelites  through  that  religion  which  found  its  centre 
and  home  in  the  Temple.  And  therefore  the  hill  on 
which  that  Temple  stood  was  to  them  the  symbol  of 
Heaven.  It  seemed  as  if  all  streams  of  blessing  flowed 
down  to  them  from  that  sacred  height.  To  Zion  they 
turned  their  eyes  when  they  prayed.  Towards  Zion 
they  journeyed  for  their  religious  festivals.  And  out 
of  Zion  the  pilgrims  carried  away  with  them  the  bene- 
diction which  they  had  sought. 

For  us,  Zion  means  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  there  that  we  have  learned  to  know  and  love  God ; 
it  is  there  that  we  have  heard  the  story  of  that  Son  in 
whom  His  pardoning  mercy  and  saving  grace  have 
been  revealed.  The  blessing  that  we  receive  there  is 
better  and  more  enduring  than  any  other.  It  is,  indeed, 
the  only  one  that  can  content  our  souls. 

Let  us  turn  back  for  a  moment  to  that  figure  of 
Fatherhood  which  we  were  considering,  and  look  at  it 
now  from  the  other  side.  If  the  father  has  his  desires 
towards  his  children,  so  also  have  the  children  their  de- 
sires towards  their  father.  It  is  not  enough  for  them 
to  dwell  in  his  house,  sheltered  beneath  his  roof  and 
fed  at  his  table.  They  crave  his  affection  ;  the  words 
of  his  forgiveness  when  they  have  done  wrong ;  the 
words  of  his  approval  when  they  have  done  right ;  the 
assurance  of  his  fatherly  love.  And  so  our  hearts  nat- 
urally desire  the  assurance  of  the  love  of  God.  Where 


THE  BENEDICTION  259 

else  can  we  find  it  save  in  Jesus  Christ  ?  When  He 
speaks  to  us,  we  know  that  our  heavenly  Father  careth 
for  us  with  a  tenderness  which  He  does  not  give  to  any 
but  His  children.  When  He  dies  for  us,  we  know  that 
God,  who  spared  not  His  own  Son,  but  freely  delivered 
Him  up  for  us  all,  shall  also  with  Him  freely  give  us 
all  things.  When  He  rises  again  for  us,  we  know  that 
death  is  conquered,  and  that  there  is  a  mansion  for  us 
in  the  Father's  heavenly  house. 

Out  of  the  Church  these  truths  come  to  us,  and  they 
make  our  homes  bright  and  peaceful,  our  trials  light 
and  bearable,  our  lives  earnest  and  hopeful,  and  our 
long  future  full  of  light.  The  word  of  peace  —  if  we 
have  heard  it  at  all  —  we  have  heard  in  Zion,  and 
therefore  we  bless  her  name,  and  love  her  courts,  and 
pray  for  her  prosperity. 

There  seems  to  be  a  natural  instinct  which  makes  us 
desire  that  every  religious  service  should  end  with  a 
blessing.  For  nothing  is  more  grateful  and  quieting  to 
the  heart  than 

"  the  benediction 
"  That  follows  after  prayer." 

After  this  old  fashion  would  I  close  my  book.  The 
faces  of  my  readers  are  unknown  to  me,  even  as  the 
pilgrims  who  called  through  the  darkness  were  unknown 
to  the  watchmen  upon  the  Temple  walls.  But  whoever 
you  are,  at  least  a  benediction  shall  go  after  you.  Your 
life  is  a  pilgrimage.  May  mercy  follow  you  out  of  Zion, 
and  peace  bring  you  to  your  home  1 


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P  *0  IM, 

5Jan'53JKM 

Al-£     1    irhj/tk 

Jftfj     5  1953  LU 

wuu    4    jggp 

MAY   Y   1942 

!/ 

OCT12    T344 

j  «    iGAB 

M)Q  I-4   ^ 

d-M      <T>         1       t-i 

UN   2 

,|Alkl        -4   A 

19  1948 

'  •-.';" 

A3J 

1  ,  1  )  1!  1      L  < 

VB  21647 


1727824 


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